New Hospital Visitation Guidelines To Enhance Patient & Visitor Safety

Visiting patients in the hospital is a key component to aid in their recovery and wellbeing. 

Recognizing that important step in the healing process, Uniontown Hospital announced that it will implement a new Visitation Policy effective March 1 that continues to allow patients the opportunity to visit with their family and friends but also provides an increased level of security for patients, their families and hospital staff. 

Under the new policy, the hospital will require all after-hours visitors to obtain a visitor’s pass and will require photo identification – among other safety measures – to validate those visitors. Regular visiting hours are from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. 

“Patients have the right to choose who may visit them throughout their stay and this new policy will give us a better sense of who is in the building after hours and why they are here,”

Uniontown Hospital police Chief John Kaminsky said.

“We know how important it is to see loved ones while they are hospitalized and we want to be as accommodating as we can while ensuring the safety of all those at the hospital.”  

According to the new policy, visitors after 8 p.m. who are staying overnight are encouraged to stay in the patient’s room and are not permitted to leave the hospital, unless they intend to leave for the night. If a visitor leaves the building after hours, he or she may be denied reentry. 

After-hours visitors will be issued passes that include a photo of the visitor, their name, the unit and room number they are visiting and also include an expiration date. Photos will be taken at registration. 

After-hours visitors will also receive a pamphlet explaining the hospital’s Visitation Policy and will be required to sign an acknowledgment that they received the pamphlet. 

Hospital officials noted that after-hours visitation may be refused if a visitor is unable to provide valid photo identification. 

“We want our patients to feel secure while they are in our care,”

hospital Support Services Director Don Record said.

“This new policy will allow us to enhance their security while maintaining after-hours visitation.”