Press releases

UVA Health community medical center and outpatient facility visitation guidelines

New visitation guidelines effective March 17, 2022

General Visitor Guidelines 

• Visitors are required to mask while inside UVA Community Health facilities.
   
• Visitors are permitted to access the cafeteria, waiting areas, and lobbies while maintaining physical distancing.
   
• Visitors to UVA Community Health facilities must be free of COVID-19 symptoms. Visitors not meeting COVID-19 screening requirements are NOT allowed to enter UVA Community Health facilities unless they meet one of the exceptions.

• Patients who are known COVID-19 positive patients or persons under investigation (PUI) for COVID-19 may not have visitors, unless they meet one of the exceptions.

• Visitation exceptions for COVID-19 positive patients and visitors:
  • Minors or adults requiring guardianship may have two (2) visitors. One adult visitor may remain with the patient 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

• Laboring mothers may have two (2) visitors. One adult visitor may stay overnight at the bedside.

• In accordance with HB2162 legislation, a patient who is a person with a disability has the right to identify a “designated support person” to accompany the patient during an admission. If care lasts longer than 24 hours, the patient may designate more than one designated support person.

Nursing supervisors may grant visitation for end-of-life or other
special circumstances

• Special circumstances could include care needed to the level of guardianship (but not legally designated guardianship); designated individual needed for plan-of-care decisions, discharge education or specific teaching in order for the patient to be safely discharged home; or patients needing family/caregiver support to assist in the care of a confused or agitated patient.

• Nursing supervisors will keep track of any patients who have visitation granted by a special circumstance.

Department-specific guidelines

Emergency Department

• Emergency Department (ED) patients may have two (2) visitors accompany them during their time in the ED.

• Visitors must be 12 years of age or older and must remain with the patient at bedside while the patient remains in the ED. 

Inpatient

• Admitted patients may have two (2) visitors at bedside during visiting hours. There is no limit to the number of visitors (12 years of age or older) who can rotate to a patient’s bedside.  One adult visitor (18 years and up) may stay overnight at bedside.

• Visiting hours for UVA Community Health inpatient patient care areas are 10 a.m.  to 8 p.m. each day.

Behavioral Health Inpatient

• Visitation guidelines for Prince William Medical Center Behavioral Health inpatients will be provided upon admission.

Surgical and procedural areas

• Patients in surgical/procedural areas may have two (2) designated visitors accompany them on the day of the procedure.

Outpatient areas (including imaging, clinics, Medical Group offices, and other ambulatory care areas)

• Patients in outpatient areas may have two (2) visitors accompany them as needed for support.