Family Health West Visitor Policy

Family Health West (FHW) Hospital staff are devoted to providing safe, high-quality, compassionate care within a healing atmosphere. That compassion and concern for the well-being of our patients extend to family members, loved ones, and visitors. We want to ensure that patients have an environment that is open to family and friends and that allows for healing.

FHW Hospital understands the need for support from family and friends during the healing process. Family  and friends shall be granted access to the Inpatient Unit under the following guidelines: 

1. General visiting hours shall be from 7:00 AM until 7:00 PM. If, for some reason, a family member or someone the patient wishes to see is unable to come during these hours, other arrangements can be made through the Patient Experience department. 
   1. After-hours visitation: Visitors will enter through the ED and check in with the ED staff. An ED staff member will direct patient visitors to the appropriate unit. 

2. Patients may see visitors in their rooms, in the waiting room area, in the activities room, on the porch or any of the facility patios. 
3. Patients have the right to refuse to see/talk to a visitor. 
4. All patients and their visitors, regardless of relationship status, shall be given a reasonable degree of privacy during visiting hours. 
5. FHW shall respect the patient’s visitation rights. Visitation rights include the right, subject to patient consent, to receive the visitors whom he/she designates, including, but not limited to, a spouse, a  domestic partner (including a same-sex domestic partner), another family member or a friend, and the right to withdraw or deny such consent at any time. 
6. Visitation shall only be restricted when it has been determined to be clinically necessary, or: 
   2. to protect the patient or others from injury or illness 
   3. to prevent deterioration of the patient’s condition 
   4. to prevent infringement on the rights of others
   5. to prevent damage to the environment 
   6. to support the wishes and requests of the patient
7. Patients shall be informed of their visitation rights, including any clinical restriction or limitation on such rights, upon admission. 
8. Visitors shall not be restricted, limited, or otherwise denied on the basis of race, color, national origin,  religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation or disability. 
9. Visitors shall enjoy full and equal visitation privileges consistent with patient preferences. 
10. Guidelines for visits by children: 
    2. Children under the age of 14 may visit if they are accompanied at all times by an adult visitor.  Children 14 years or older need not be accompanied by an adult. 
    3. CCHMC staff should encourage children to wash their hands before and after the visit and  request children to stay in the patient’s room during the visit