MultiCare in Washington State Visitor Restrictions

Below is a letter from MultiCare for Washingtion State ???? COVID19

To help keep our patients, visitors and staff safe and to help stop the spread of COVID-19, MultiCare has established visitor restrictions at all our hospitals and clinics in Washington state.

SCREENING

We will be screening all patients and visitors at our hospitals and clinics.

Hospitals (including clinics located inside our hospital buildings)

Our hospitals may close some entrances. The hours these entrances are open may also be different than normal.

Visit the hospital location pages at www.multicare.org for information about your hospital.

All hospital visitors will be screened at the entrances. A staff member will take temperatures and ask these screening questions:

• Do you have a fever, cough, shortness of breath or symptoms of a common cold or flu?
• Have you had contact with someone suspected or confirmed to have novel coronavirus (COVID-19)?

If the answer is “yes” to either question, you will not be allowed to enter the facility. We will encourage you to contact your primary care provider or use our free Virtual Care e-visit service (www.multicare.org/virtualcare). If you have an appointment at a clinic located inside the hospital and cannot enter, we will ask you to contact your clinic for instructions.

Outpatient Clinics (Not in hospital buildings)

Our clinics and appointment schedulers will ask you the same screening questions about symptoms and COVID-19 exposure that our hospitals do when you call. (see questions above).

If you can answer “yes” to either question, please contact your clinic to get instructions before you come to your appointment.

If you do come to the clinic, we will screen all patients and visitors there, and we may take temperatures as well.

Patients who can answer “yes” to either screening question at the clinic will be given a mask to wear. If you refuse to wear the mask, the clinic will ask you to leave.

Any visitor who has a temperature and can answer “yes” to either screening question will not be allowed in the clinic.

VISITOR RESTRICTIONS

Hospital visiting hours will be restricted to 8am – 8pm.

In the hospitals, only one caregiver or support person is allowed for each patient, each day (two visitors for patients 17 and under). In our outpatient clinics, only one caregiver or support person will be allowed with each adult patient.

A limit of two parents or caregivers will be allowed with each pediatric patient in our outpatient clinics.

No children 17 and under will be allowed in any hospital or clinic unless they are patients.

No siblings of any age will be allowed to accompany pediatric patients to our outpatient clinics, unless they are patients themselves.

Hospital visitors will be issued a wristband for the day to help our staff identify them.

No visitors will be allowed for hospital patients with suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19 (patients 17 and under are allowed one parent or caregiver at a time, or two in a 24-hour period).

Only one caregiver or support person will be allowed to accompany patients arriving for surgery or procedures.

Only one visitor is allowed to accompany emergency patients or patients with outpatient appointments at the hospital.

Patients in our hospital birth centers, neonatal intensive care units, and pediatric units may have two visitors per day instead of one.

No visitors will be allowed to enter through the Emergency Department unless they are accompanying an emergency patient.

If you are not at the hospital to receive care or visit a patient, you will not be allowed to enter.

VALET PARKING SERVICE

Currently, we are not offering our normal hospital valet parking service. However, staff members will be available at hospital entrances to direct you to parking locations.

Thank you. We appreciate your patience and cooperation. For more information, visit www.multicare.org/coronavirus.