Hospital loosens visitor restrictions
By Terry Murry on Thursday, February 24th, 2022 in Columbia Basin News Featured Stories
WALLA WALLA – Providence St. Mary Medical Center has eased visitor restrictions to allow two visitors and/or support people per patient. The visitors must remain the same throughout the patient’s stay or appointment and cannot rotate. They may come only once a day.
Patients who are expected to pass away in 12 to 24 hours may have four visitors at a time, and those visitors may rotate. For example, if a family of 10 wanted to visit, they would divide up and rotate through, four at a time, until all were able to visit.
No visitors are allowed in COVID-positive or isolation rooms unless the patient is at the end of life. In the birthing center, two support people of the mother’s choosing are permitted throughout the stay and cannot rotate. Patients under the age of 18 may have two support people with one required to be a parent or guardian legally able to make decisions and cannot rotate. In addition to the visitors outlined, patients may have visits from clergy.
All visitors are required to wear medical-grade surgical masks fully covering their noses and mouths while in the hospital and in the hospital room. This requirement does not change after March 21 as Gov. Inslee’s lifting of indoor masking requirements does not apply to health care facilities.
