St. Claire Regional Medical Center Loosens Visitor Restrictions

St. Claire HealthCare (SCH) announced it will loosen visitor restrictions at St. Claire Regional Medical Center in Morehead effective Thursday, May 5, 2022.

“Throughout the pandemic, SCH, like health systems across the country, restricted visitation to protect the safety of our patients and staff,” said Lerae Wilson, DNP, SCH’s Chief Nursing Officer. “Now that community spread of COVID has dramatically declined in the region, we’re opening back up visitation for our hospitalized patients.”

In addition to now welcoming visitors 14 and older, the hospital’s limit on the number of visitors permitted each day has been removed for most units. Visiting hours for patients in the Intensive/Progressive Care (ICU/PCU), Med-Surg Units (3 Center/3 North), Surgery, Labor & Delivery, and the Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit (IRU) will be from 8 AM to 7 PM daily. Multiple visitors are welcome throughout the day but will continue to be limited to two visitors at the bedside at a time. Outside clergy are also welcome and won’t count toward the visitor limits.

Patients in the Emergency Department will continue to be limited to one visitor (pediatric patients may have two parents at the bedside), and the Behavioral Health Unit will remain closed to all visitors until further notice. Visitation will also remain restricted for COVID patients.

According to Wilson, compassionate visitation exceptions may be made on a case-by-case basis.

Additionally, the hospital’s waiting areas and cafeteria have also reopened. All visitors will be expected to follow infection control policies including masking and social distancing in both patient rooms and public areas.

“We will continue to closely monitor COVID activity throughout the community and inpatient COVID volumes,” said Wilson. “If those numbers begin to trend back up, we will adjust our visitation policies as needed to protect the safety of our patients, visitors, and staff.”

For more details about the visitation policy at St. Claire Regional Medical Center, visit www.st-claire.org/visitors or contact the Patient Experience Team at 606.783.6591.