Wichita, KS — As of 6 a.m. Monday, Nov. 9, 2020, Wesley Healthcare will be allowing only one visitor per patient each day as COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations continue to rise across the state. This change will allow Wesley hospitals to limit the number of people entering its facilities without reinstating full “no visitor” policies.
“We understand how difficult it can be to be cut off from family members who are hospitalized, so we wanted to avoid implementing a ban on visitors if at all possible,” Bill Voloch, CEO of Wesley Healthcare, said. “This adjustment to our visitation policy will help us minimize the number of visitors in our buildings and discourage families and friends from congregating as they wait their turn to visit while still allowing our patients to have the support they need.”
All visitors will be asked to enter through the main entrance at both Wesley Medical Center and Wesley Woodlawn Hospital & ER. Visitors will sign in at the screening station so that hospital staff can track visitors for each patient. Once signed in, that visitor will be the only one allowed for that 24-hour period. If someone else attempts to sign in for that patient, they will be asked to leave.
Visiting hours will remain in effect from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.
No other aspects of the current visitation policy will be impacted, and all existing exceptions will remain in place, such as:
- Two parents/guardians for infants and pediatric patients
- One parent/guardian overnight for pediatric, neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and neonatal special care unit (NSCU) patients
- Two support people for women in labor, both of whom can remain overnight
- Visitation for end-of-life situations, allowing two family members for two hours
As always, no visitors will be allowed in high-risk areas (e.g. COVID-positive patient units), and no visitors under the age of 12 will be allowed in the hospital.
“We hope that these changes will help us better control foot traffic in our facilities, and that they help keep patients, visitors, colleagues and physicians safe as we continue to deal with the current increase in COVID-19 cases,” Voloch said.
Wesley Healthcare continues to require mandatory masking for all staff and visitors, and encourages area residents to wear a mask and practice social distancing whenever they are outside of their homes to help control the infection rates across our community. Washing one’s hands frequently is also an important tool in preventing infections.
Visitor policy
Circumstances may allow for specific exceptions to any visitation restrictions described on this webpage. Those circumstances include religious visitation as well as a designated support person for a patient with a disability to provide assistance with communication or other necessary components of the patient’s treatment. All persons entering under an exception remain subject to appropriate infection control protocols.