LVHN relaxes hospital visitation guidelines

Lehigh Valley Health Network is relaxing some of its hospital visitation guidelines.

In a press release, the network said the following guidelines are now in place.

• Labor and delivery and postpartum areas: One partner/support person may stay the duration of the hospitalization.
• Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU): One set of parents or authorized representatives may visit.
• Hospitalized patients age 18 and younger: One set of parents or authorized representatives may visit.
• Patients with developmental disability, major neurocognitive disorder or dementia: one designated support person essential to patient care may visit.
• Non-COVID-19 medical surgical/low-level monitoring units: One healthy support person may visit daily for the duration of the hospitalization.
• Patients ready to be discharged from the hospital: One healthy support person may visit to assist as necessary.
• Emergency department: One healthy visitor may accompany a patient.
• Non-COVID-19 patients who are at end-of-life: Two healthy visitors may visit at a time.
• COVID-19 patients who are at end-of-life: Two healthy visitors my visit at a time.

Before being allowed into hospital facilities, visitors will have their temperature taken and be screened for symptoms of COVID-19.

Those who have had COVID-19 must be free of fever for at least three days and it must be at least 10 days since symptoms began.

All visitors must wear a mask and will be provided with one if they do not have one.

Visitors will only be allowed in the patient room and not other parts of the hospital.

No one under 18 will be allowed to visit unless it is an end-of-life situation.

No visitors will be allowed in intensive care units, same-day surgery centers, or the networks three designated COVID-19 Free facilities, LVHN Tilghman and the two Coordinated Health facilities.

LVHN said the visitation guidelines and restrictions will be reviewed weekly and will be updated based on the latest information.