Our Lady of Lourdes Visiting Hours & Guidelines

Visitation Policy Update

As our ministry continues to respond to COVID-19, patient and team member safety remains our highest priority. To ensure safety tempered with empathy, we are adjusting our visitor policies and procedures. This practice is in place to improve the comfort and communication for patients, family, visitors and staff. The list below provides an outline of the expectations for all visitors to our campuses, our screening protocols and exceptions.

SCREENING

All visitors will be screened daily for symptoms, including:

• Fever greater than or equal to 100.4°F, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, sore throat, congestion that differs from their typical seasonal allergies, body aches, fatigue, loss of smell/taste, diarrhea, active COVID infection or recent exposure.
• If a visitor says “YES” to any of the screening symptoms, they will not be allowed entry into the facility.
• Once a visitor passes screening, they will receive an armband that must be worn throughout the facility.

MASKS

Our Lady of Lourdes Health has adjusted the masking requirement to follow the Louisiana Department of Health guidelines:

• Visitors and patients who are vaccinated are not required to wear a mask while visiting our facilities.
• If the patient and visitors are vaccinated and from the same household, no mask is needed once they are in the patient's room or in general areas throughout our facilities. Masks are encouraged in waiting rooms and when interacting with a medical provider in the patient's room.
• If the patient and/or the visitor are unvaccinated, we ask that they wear a mask for the duration of the visit.
• Patients who are immunocompromised or seeking care for respiratory illness are encouraged to wear a mask throughout our facilities, regardless of vaccination status.

Masks are required for ALL team members, regardless of vaccination status, during any interaction with a patient. This includes but is not limited to:

• Registration and check-in areas
• Procedural areas
• Patient rooms
• Therapy sessions
• Long-term care facilities, which are required by the state to mask in all areas inside the facility unless eating or drinking.

Patient and Visitor Guidelines

All visitors must be at least 12 years old. Clergy are not considered or counted as one of the patient visitors. They may visit as requested.

Patient Visitation to Our Lady of Lourdes Women's & Children's Hospital:

• Inpatient Pediatric, Postpartum & Women's Health Care Units - may have visitors (12 years of age or older) at the bedside. We encourage visitors to visit in short durations and keep groups of visitors to no more than four people at the bedside at any given time to promote a quiet and healing environment for all patients. Visitors will be allowed to swap out with other friends and family during visitation hours. Two visitors may stay overnight.
• Labor & Delivery/Antenatal - Two visitors at a time will be allowed at bedside. Two overnight visitors allowed. (No limit to number of visitors for entirety of stay at the request of the laboring patient.)
• NICU - Four visitors allowed per stay, 16 years of age or older unless parent/guardian of patient. Two visitors at a time will be allowed at bedside.
• At time of admission, the mother will name up to three visitors who may visit infant without accompaniment of mom or significant other (counts as one of the three visitors). Names on the list cannot be replaced if removed or other names added.
• The expectant mother and/or significant other may have one visitor accompany them at bedside.
• PICU - Two visitors at a time will be allowed at bedside, 12 years of age or older. (No limit to number of visitors for entirety of stay)
• Day Surgery - Two visitors, 12 years of age or older.
• Emergency Department - Two visitors, 12 years of age or older.
• COVID Positive Patient Rooms - Two visitors per stay who must stay in the patient’s room and wear appropriate protective equipment.
• All visitors must stay in the patient’s room and will receive a wristband with the current date that must be worn for the duration of their visit.
• The visitor must wear the recommended personal protective equipment (PPE) for the duration of the visit, including a mask.
• Note: See exception for end of life near the end of this page.
• Outpatient Appointments - Two visitors, 12 years of age or older.
• All visitors must pass screening and change arm band to appropriate color daily.

Patient Visitation to Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center:

• Patients who are not COVID positive and not bedded in an ICU setting may have visitors (12 years of age or older) at the bedside 8 a.m.-8 p.m. daily. We encourage visitors to visit in short durations and keep groups of visitors to no more than four people at bedside at any given time to promote a quiet and healing environment for all patients. Visitors will be allowed to swap out with other friends and family during visitation hours. One visitor may stay overnight.
• Patients admitted to the Intensive Care Units (Non-COVID) - Two visitors (12 years of age or older) will be allowed at the bedside 8 a.m.-8 p.m. daily. Visitors will be allowed to swap out with other friends and family during visitation hours. One visitor may stay overnight.
• Patients admitted with COVID-19 (all areas of hospital) - One visitor will be allowed at the bedside for visitation between 8 a.m.-8 p.m. daily. This one visitor may stay overnight.
• All visitors must stay in the patient’s room and will receive a wristband with the current date that must be worn for the duration of their visit.
• The visitor must wear the recommended personal protective equipment (PPE) for the duration of the visit, including a mask.
• Inpatients requiring surgery - Patients admitted and undergoing surgery/procedures may have two visitors prior to being transported to surgical or procedural areas to assist with the perioperative/periprocedural process. (Visitors may enter outside of normal hospital visitation hours if needed.)
• Emergency Department (including Scott campus) - Two visitors (12 years of age or older).
• Outpatient surgery and procedures - Patients undergoing outpatient surgery or procedures may have two visitors permitted to assist with the arrival, registration and post-operative process. One visitor may stay overnight if inpatient admission is necessary.
• Outpatient appointments - Patients may have two visitors if they need physical assistance for an appointment or support for cognitive or behavioral impairments (including but not limited to power of attorney).

Patient Visitation to Our Lady of Lourdes Heart Hospital:

• Patients who are not COVID positive may have two visitors (12 years of age or older) at the bedside 8 a.m.-8 p.m. daily. Visitors will be allowed to swap out with other friends and family during visitation hours. One visitor may stay overnight.
• Patients admitted with COVID-19 - One visitor will be allowed at the bedside for visitation between 8 a.m.-8 p.m. daily. This one visitor may stay overnight.
• All visitors must stay in the patient’s room and will receive a wristband with the current date that must be worn for the duration of their visit.
• The visitor must wear the recommended personal protective equipment (PPE) for the duration of the visit, including a mask.
• Inpatients requiring surgery - Patients admitted and undergoing surgery/procedures may have two visitors prior to being transported to surgical or procedural areas to assist with the perioperative/periprocedural process. (Visitors may enter outside of normal hospital visitation hours if needed.)
• Emergency Department - Two visitors (12 years of age or older).
• Outpatient surgery and procedures - Patients undergoing outpatient surgery or procedures may have two visitors who will be permitted to assist with the arrival, registration and the post-operative process. One visitor may stay overnight if inpatient admission is necessary.
• Outpatient appointments - Patients may have two visitors if they need physical assistance for an appointment or support for cognitive or behavioral impairments (including but not limited to power of attorney).

Additional Visitation Guidance

• Children Visitors - No children under age 12.
• Visitors with Chronic Conditions - We strongly recommend people who have chronic conditions such as lung, heart disease or an immunocompromised state not visit patients in our facilities for their own protection.
• Inpatient Hospitalization - Authorized visitors must adhere to the following guidelines:
• Must always wear a mask when in the building and in patient rooms if not vaccinated.
• Will be screened daily.
• Vendors - Will be restricted to mission-critical or direct patient care activities and will only be allowed in the building or clinic by appointment only.
• For viewing of decedent bodies - If a visitor needs to view a decedent body, the visitor will be escorted to the room/morgue for viewing and then escorted back to the facility entrance for departure.

Exceptions to the Visitor Policy and After Hours:

• End of Life (All Campuses) - Patients admitted for end-of-life evaluation and treatment, or patients being evaluated for and/or receiving hospice care, or those who already have passed, including persons under investigation, suspected COVID-19 and COVID-19 positive patients, may have multiple visitors up to six at a time who may swap out. (Additional visitors may be approved by the house supervisor and senior leadership for end-of-life care.)
• End of life is defined as anticipated death with an active do-not-resuscitate (DNR) order in place and/or planned withdrawal of life-sustaining interventions (e.g., ventilator).
• Clergy are not considered visitors and will be allowed at the patients or family request.

Connecting Virtually

We understand and recognize how important the support of family and loved ones are to our patients while we care for them. While our visitor policies can make connecting in person difficult, it is for the safety of those we care for, our team, our community and our patients’ loved ones. We encourage our patients to visit virtually with their loved ones through smartphones so they can still be connected and feel supported during their time with us.

To help our patients connect virtually, we have iPads in the hospital to help facilitate video communication between patients and their loved ones who may be unable to visit at this time.