Guidelines for Visiting St. Lawrence Health
Due to the much-welcomed reduction of COVID-19 cases in our community, St. Lawrence Health has decided to discontinue its visitor screening stations effective Thursday, June 30, 2022.
VISITOR SCREENING AND CHECK-IN PROCESS
The NYS Department of Health (NYS DOH) no longer requires hospitals to maintain formal visitor check-in processes for contact tracing purposes.
Effective Thursday, June 30, 2022, at 12:01 am:
- Temperature checks will be discontinued.
- Patients will check in at registration.
- Visitors must check in at information desks/switchboard areas for further direction. Entrances to buildings will continue to be controlled for security purposes.
NOTE: Visitors and support persons must continue to wear a medical mask, that completely covers their nose and mouth, for the duration of the visit. Cloth masks are unacceptable; a medical-grade mask will be provided for you if needed.
VISITATION
Hospital Visitation hours are from 9 am - 1 pm, and 4 pm - 8 pm at Canton-Potsdam Hospital, Gouverneur Hospital, and Massena Hospital
Emergency Department Visitation for all three hospitals is one visitor per patient, with no restriction on hours.
NUMBER OF VISITORS AT BEDSIDE
- Patient can have multiple visitors but no more than two at the bedside at a time.
- End-of-Life visits in the hospital are not restricted. However, social distancing must be maintained. Please work with families to avoid overcrowding.
- Same-day/ambulatory procedures or surgeries:
- One companion is permitted for pre-procedure (surgery) and post-procedure (surgery).
- Pediatric patients may have up to two support persons at a time.
- Visitors must remain masked at all times and must maintain social distancing and hand hygiene.
- All visitors must remain masked for the duration of their visit with a medical-grade mask. Masks will be provided upon entry if needed.
- Please note: Visitation will be limited for COVID-19 or suspected COVID-19 positive patients. Refer to the policy for specific details.
SUPPORT PERSONS
- Allow two support persons at the bedside at a time.
- Labor & Delivery:
- Triage: one support person
- Admission, labor, delivery, and recovery: two support persons
- Post-partum: two support persons
- Patients with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities, cognitive impairment, dementia: one support person + additional visitor during visitation hours.
