Visitor information

Visits from family and friends help children and their families throughout the hospital experience. The following policies outline general guidelines for visiting the hospital. To ensure patient safety, security and protection it is vitally important that you observe our rules and regulations. Your understanding and cooperation is greatly appreciated.

General visiting hours

Parents or legal guardians may be with their child at any time. For all other visitors, general visiting hours are 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. but do vary by floor.

All visitors must stop at the Concierge desk in the Siragusa Lobby to obtain a color-coded visitor pass before going to a child's room. The color-coded passes correspond to the hospital areas that they are permitted to visit. The pass must be visible at all times in the hospital.

For increased safety and customer service, parents and legal guardians will receive a color-coded wrist band that likewise corresponds to the area of the hospital that they are permitted to visit. These wrist bands will be applied to parents and legal guardians on the inpatient unit, in Surgical Services or by the Admitting Department staff.

The main hospital entrance closes at 9 p.m. each night. After 9 p.m. we require that a security officer confirm all visitors (including parents) with the nursing unit on the designated floor. The security officer will request the patient's name and room number and call the nursing unit while you wait to be assisted.

Please note that smoking is not permitted inside the hospital's buildings. Please ask the Concierge about designated smoking areas.

Screening for infectious disease

To help curb the spread of disease and maintain an infection-free environment, we ask your assistance in taking steps to safeguard our patients' health and the health of families and visitors.

• Please do not enter the hospital if you currently have a fever, sore throat, diarrhea, rash, bad cough, runny nose, congestion or if you have in the past month had, or been exposed to, chicken pox, measles, tuberculosis, mumps, whooping cough, strep throat or any other contagious disease.
• Follow all special instructions (such as wearing a mask) if the patient you are visiting is in “isolation” for an infectious disease.
• Wash your hands frequently before, during and after visits to the hospital.
• All visiting children under the age of 16 will be visually screened when checking in at the Concierge desk for obvious infectious disease.

Visiting our intensive care units

Because many children in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) or Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) are very ill, we strive to promote the best possible environment for their rest and recovery. Our visiting guidelines for these areas help provide an optimal care environment for our patients while respecting the needs of parents, family and friends. Please note that cell phones are permitted ONLY in the lounges, NOT in the PICU or NICU.

Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU)

Visiting relatives and friends

• Are welcome to visit from 10 a.m. until 8:30 p.m.
• Must be at least 16 years old (except for siblings).
• Will be screened for communicable diseases – including signs of colds or flu, or contact with other communicable disease like chicken pox, measles, mumps, rubella, TB and pertusis – that may be passed onto our patients.
• May not visit if they have a fever, cough or have been recently exposed to anyone with a fever or cough.
• Bedside visitors are limited to two at a time – this includes parents. Up to four additional visitors with passes may wait in the lounge areas. Friends and relatives are only allowed to visit if a parent is present at the bedside.
• Parents and visitors leaving the bedside should not stand outside the patient room or in the hallway outside the unit. Please proceed to the lounge.
• May not bring food into the PICU.
• Must wear visitor passes at all times and should return their passes to the information desk when leaving the hospital so that passes are available for other visitors.

Visiting siblings

• Are welcome between 10 a.m. and 8:30 p.m. unless the patient is in respiratory isolation.
• Who are under 12 years old MUST be with an adult family member at all times
• Should be prepared about what they may see (medical equipment, sick kids). Please ask the nurses at the front desk if you need assistance with this.
• If under 16 years old may not visit a patient who is in isolation for a contagious disease.

Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)

Visiting relatives and friends

• Are welcome to visit from 10 a.m. until 8:30 p.m.
• Must be over the age of 16, unless they are a sibling.
• Should check in at the main NICU desk before entering the patient's room.
• May visit while the parents or guardians are not present, IF the parents or guardian has given their names to the nurses in the NICU.
• Only two people at a time will be allowed at the child's bedside and should stay at the bedside of the child they are visiting.
• Should be aware that they will be asked to leave the room during change of nursing shifts, physician rounds or if an emergency situation occurs.
• Must be free from infection.

Visiting siblings

• Must be at least 2 years old.
• A developmental specialist or nurse will prepare siblings for their visit by talking about what they will see.
• Visits must be prearranged with the bedside nurse and will be limited to 30 minutes, once a week.
• Must have current immunization records.
• Must be free from infection.
• Must wash their hands and wear a mask before going into the patient's room.
• Must be with an adult at all times while in the NICU.

Non-patient related visitors

We sincerely appreciate the many people who contact us about coming to the hospital for group “field trips.” Unfortunately for infection control and privacy reasons, we do not permit these visits. For more information on how you can help the children, please visit our Gift/Toy Donations page, consider volunteering or contact Teri Foster for more information.

Various individuals and groups often request to visit Children's Memorial to provide a service or activity for our patients and their families. To keep our patients' environments as safe, healthy and private as possible, all non-patient related visitors must direct their requests to visit the hospital to the Children's Services management team for approval. Approved non-patient related visitors such as vendors, film and media crews, non-credentialed medical observers and special guests of the hospital will be asked to comply with our infection control guidelines and to sign a Confidentiality and Health Agreement Liability Waiver.