Citing Increased COVID-19 Cases, AtlantiCare Suspends Visitors
After seeing a recent increase in COVID-19 cases in South Jersey, AtlantiCare has once again suspended most visitors to its hospital campuses. AtlantiCare announced the change Wednesday on their website.
AtlantiCare understands the key role family and other support persons play in the wellness and recovery of patients and clients. Our priority during the pandemic is to protect patients and their families, our staff and providers, and the communities we serve.
At this time we are not allowing inpatient, outpatient (surgeries, procedures, tests), or emergency patient visitation at our hospital campuses.
AtlantiCare's latest restrictions are in keeping with statewide guidelines.
During the pandemic, hospitals throughout the state of New Jersey adopted a new data-driven approach that sets visitation levels based upon the prevalence of COVID-19 and stress on hospitals in geographic areas.
The state of New Jersey determines the visitation level based upon three color codes: green, yellow, and red. The latest statewide visitation levels set on Wednesday, Oct. 6 for southeast New Jersey are yellow, restricting visitors except for circumstances approved by the care team.
AtlantiCare's visitor suspension has limited exceptions, which include:
Pediatric/Minor Patients
We allow two parents or guardians to visit/accompany minor patients (under the age of 18) who are admitted to the hospital or have surgery or other procedure throughout their stay. Minor pediatric patients who are in the Emergency Department may have one designated parent or guardian visit.
Patients with Disabilities
Patients with an intellectual, developmental, or cognitive disability who are admitted to the hospital, having same-day outpatient surgery, or being treated in the Emergency Department may have one designated visitor or support person visit 24/7 unless the patient has active COVID-19.
Labor, Delivery, and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Maternal-Fetal Medicine Patients
One designated support person may visit a pregnant patient during labor, delivery, and throughout the patient's post-partum stay.
A doula is considered a healthcare provider unless the patient designates the doula as a support person.
If the mother is discharged and the baby needs to remain on the Mother-Baby Unit or in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, one designated parent or guardian may visit the baby 24/7.
Maternal-Fetal Medicine patients may have one support person accompany them to ultrasound visits.
Patients at the End Stage of Life
A person at the end stage of life may have two designated adult visitors 24/7 unless the patient has active COVID-19 or another illness for which the care team deems visitation would be a safety risk.
COVID-positive patients who are at the end of life may have a one-time, 15-minute visit from two designated adults, regardless of the time of day.
See more information on the AtlantiCare website.