New York Bans Hospital Visits in COVID Red Zones

The New York State Department of Health announced that visits to hospitals and nursing homes in red zones will be banned. In keeping with the new order, Maimonides Medical Center in Boro Park has instituted new visiting policies.

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Visitation in residential congregate facilities will be banned, except in limited circumstances, in New York’s “red zone” COVID hotspots.

The directive from the state Health Department to facilities, dated Oct. 23, applies to entities like hospitals, nursing homes, adult homes, facilities for individuals with developmental disabilities, and correctional facilities.

All visitation is suspended in these facilities that are in red zones, except for in the following instances: compassionate care (including end of life/hospice situations), medically or clinically necessary (i.e. visitor is essential to the care of the patient), accompanying a minor in a pediatric facility, labor/delivery/post-partum care, necessary legal representatives, and essential companions to individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities or with cognitive impairments, including dementia.

In orange zones, the same rules would take effect only if a staff member or resident has tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 14 days,

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Per the state directive, Maimonides Medical Center in Boro Park will be instituting the following policy, starting Oct. 31:

General visitation is banned except in the following circumstances:

— If the patient’s care team requests the visitor to be a part of scheduled care partner training for medical and surgical patients with rehabilitation or cognitive needs and appropriate post-operative care education.

— Visits by anyone who is legally authorized to make decisions for the patient, whether by operation of a durable power of attorney (DPOA) or conservatorship, or in the role of a surrogate decision maker as recognized by the care provider team for patients who lack decisional capacity.

— “Goals of care” discussions: One visitor permitted for discussions with treatment team

In these instances, the patients will be permitted one visitor at a time, for a maximum total of two hours per day. Visitation may occur from Sunday thru Friday, 1 pm to 7 pm; and on Saturday, from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.

General visitation for Emergency Room patients is banned except in the following circumstances:

— Visits by anyone who is legally authorized to make decisions for the patient, whether by operation of a durable power of attorney (DPOA) or conservatorship, or in the role of a surrogate decision maker as recognized by the care provider team for patients who lack decisional capacity.

— “Goals of care” discussions: One visitor permitted for discussions with treatment team Additional family members may be allowed for a Goals of Care discussion at the discretion of the attending physician.

— One visitor will be allowed to assist with the registration and in-take process.

In these instances, the patient may have one visitor per day, for a maximum of two hours per visit. (These visits may occur at any time of the day.)

Patients being discharged from the hospital may be picked up by one healthy visitor.

All visitors will be provided with, and must wear, appropriate personal protective equipment; and must consent to symptom and temperature checks.

In the pediatric ward and NICU, one visitor will be permitted with a patient at all times.

For labor and delivery: One designated support person and a doula may accompany a patient throughout labor, delivery, and the immediate postpartum period, including the Recovery Room. Visiting hours in the Mother Baby unit are 9 a.m.– 9 p.m.

In end-of-life circumstances, where death is anticipated in under 24 hours, two support people may be designated, from the patient’s family or legal representative, to be with the patient, but no more than one at a time.

Maimonides’ complete visitation policy is available at www.maimonidesmed.org/visiting-hours