STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Gov. Andrew Cuomo put the decision to allow visitors and under what capacity in the hands of hospitals across the state as he announced Tuesday he would be lifting the ban on hospital visitation during the coronavirus pandemic.
Richmond University Medical Center (RUMC) began allowing visitors into the hospital nearly three weeks ago as part of a state pilot program that permitted time-limited visits.
RUMC is also required to temperature check all visitors, as well as prescreen them for COVID-19 and supply personal protective equipment (PPE).
“Being able to visit loved ones in the hospital is a vital part of the recovery process for both the patient and their families,” said Daniel Messina, president and CEO of RUMC.
A spokesman for RUMC told the Advance/SILive.com that it would not be making changes to the current visitation policy following the governor’s announcement.
The hospital is constantly monitoring the situation and taking all aspects into consideration, the spokesman said, and will update the policy as it sees fit to ensure the safety of patients, doctors, and staff at RUMC.
Additionally, he explained, not all departments are allowing visitors; labor and delivery and postpartum is one of the exemptions at this time. It’s best to check with the department before heading to the hospital, he said.
SIUH HOPES TO BEGIN VISITATION BY WEEK’S END
Dr. Brahim Ardolic, executive director of SIUH, said the hospital has a plan in place for allowing visitors back into the hospital but is working out the details.
He hopes to have the plan in place by the end of the week.
“We want to make sure that people can have visitation but we have to do it in a controlled way,” Ardolic said. “It’s going to be a phased rollout.”
Initially only one visitor will be permitted at a patient’s bedside; that visitor will be allowed to stay for a “significant amount of time.”
“There will not be multiple people at a bedside. We will be very adamant about that,” Ardolic said.
Patients in all departments will be allowed visitors unless they are known COVID-19 positive or unless there is a specific need for the patient to not have visitors, he explained.
“Visitors will come to the hospital, get screened, get a mask and a pass and be able to go visit their loved one. We’re really excited about this; we’ve been waiting,” he said.
Unless there is a dramatic spike in COVID-19 cases at the hospital, Ardolic said the goal is to maintain this visitation policy and do it safely enough so they don’t have to roll back the policy.
FOLLOW KRISTIN F. DALTON ON TWITTER.