Houston Healthcare eases visitation policy

Houston Healthcare has continued to see encouraging data with COVID-19 cases declining in the county and hospitals. With that, officials announced Monday that effective Thursday, June 4; all non-COVID-19 patients will be allowed one visitor.

“We recognize that visitors are so valuable to that relationship with our patients,” said Mindy Hartley, vice president/chief operating officer for Houston Healthcare. “Sometimes they’re the voice for the patient, and so it has been challenging to have such strict guidelines for visitation during this pandemic. We have been monitoring closely to assess when it was the right time to ease some of those restrictions. I do use the word, ease, because we aren’t able to just open wide up, because there are still some COVID-19 cases out there. We will continue to monitor it very closely to ease more, but if we see a spike in cases, then we will put back in place those restriction.”

Hartley said there was some key components related to Houston Healthcare officials making the decision to be able to open back up, such as cases for Houston Healthcare have declined over the last three weeks.

“The cases in the county have declined exponentially, and the cases in our hospital have as well,” Hartley said. “We have single digits now related to numbers in our hospitals, so it is very encouraging.”

Again, Houston Healthcare will allow one visitor per non-COVID-19 patient. Hartley said there are a few exceptions to this rule, one being that if a visitor has a family member or friend in the intensive care unit, they will be allowed to visit for one hour at a time.

“One restriction we will maintain is having no minor visitors under the age of 13,” Hartley said. “There will also be no visitors in the emergency room due to the nature of what goes on. Access to any Houston Healthcare facility will require a mask. We will continue to screen people at our doors, and again, everyone will be required to wear a mask. Our employees will also continue to wear masks because the virus is spread through droplet, and with wearing a mask, that maintains droplet precautions. Patients in hospice, palliative care, pediatric care, and birth center, may have a visitor overnight. In the birth center, we are still not allowing minor visitors under the age of 13.”

Visitations hours are Monday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Also effective Thursday, the Houston Health Pavilion will reopen for its services. Hartley said patients there will still be required to wear a mask. Most in the community use the pavilion as a recreational service in walking for exercise, but at this time, Hartley said officials are still reviewing whether or not to permit that.

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