St. Clair Hospital Revises Its Visitation Guidelines

MT. LEBANON, Pa. (March 16, 2020) – In response to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) global pandemic, St. Clair Hospital today announced immediate, new restrictions on patient visitation. The revised policy, intended to protect patients, families and employees, will continue until further notice.

Under the revised policy, for most areas of the Hospital, visitation hours will be restricted to two, 2-hour periods, and patients in those areas of the Hospital will be limited to one visitor per visitation period.  In certain circumstances, limited exceptions will apply.  Patients in the Family Birth, Pediatric, and Psychiatric units of the Hospital will be permitted to have up to two visitors during visiting hours, which are defined on a unit-specific basis.   Visitors will be screened upon entering the Hospital, and must wash their hands upon entering and exiting both the patient’s room and the Hospital. Visitors must also wear a Hospital-issued identification badge.

Family and friends are asked to refrain from visiting patients if they are experiencing any symptoms of illness themselves, such as fever, cough or sore throat.  No visitors under the age of 18 will be permitted.

“The health and safety of our patients, visitors, and staff are top priority for St. Clair Hospital,” said St. Clair’s Chief Medical Officer, John Sullivan, M.D.  “We are strictly adhering to guidelines established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Allegheny County Department of Health, as well as advice on best practice from our clinical partner, Mayo Clinic.”

“We understand how important the support of loved ones and friends is to patients during their hospital stay. At the same time, the novel coronavirus requires us to temporarily adjust our visiting policy in order to keep our caregivers, patients, and visitors safe from infection.  We ask for patience and understanding as we work to keep everyone in our care as safe as possible,” said Emily Magee, Manager, Infection Prevention at St. Clair.

A more complete description of the new visitation policy can be found on the Hospital’s website, www.stclair.org/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/