Columbus Specialty Hospital Visitation Policy Covid-19 Restrictions

Effective 07/01/2021

We have put great thought and consideration in the measures we have taken and will take to protect our patients and staff while we continue to monitor the effects of the most recent pandemic, COVID-19. With Covid-19 cases continuing to decline in our area, we have decided to change our visitation policy to one visitor per patient at a time until further notice. This means that a patient may have multiple visitors a day, but at different intervals. We contacted the emergency contact for each patient on 07/01/2021 to advise him or her of the decision for one visitor at a time for each patient. Visitors will no longer be required to sign in each day; however, all visitors must still report to the Main Nurses’ Station, verbally answer the COVID-19 screening questions, and have their temperature taken. If all criteria to visit is met, staff will provide the visitors with a colored sticker to wear for the duration of their visit. The sticker should have the date, the visitor’s temperature, the patient’s room number, and the staff member’s initials that performed the screening.

All nurses are required to contact the emergency contact or designated family member for all patients admitted with active COVID-19 infections in AIIR rooms to provide an update daily sometime between the hours of 1:00pm and 4:00pm. All nurses are also required to document a nursing note to support this call, including who the nurse spoke with. Night shift nurses are also required to communicate with emergency contacts/responsible parties when they call. If the nurse is unavailable when the emergency contact calls, please take a message or look at notes to help answer questions about the status of the patient. Supporting documentation is required and should include the name of the person you spoke with.

Thank you for understanding the importance of the changes to our visitation policy and the communication to the emergency contacts each day and night, when needed. We know you will provide each of them with the same professionalism and compassion you would want if your loved one was in the hospital. We are great at what we do! Let’s set the example for each other, our patients, and our families during these trying times. Let’s work together to provide patients and visitors with a warm welcome to our facility.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to ask.

If you have any questions please call or email.