Clay County Medical Center encourages the practice of visiting patients. We believe that visiting can be therapeutic and should be pleasant experience. Therefore, we ask that:

• Persons with an acute respiratory disease, persons who have been exposed to a communicable disease and/or are in the incubation period, or have signs or symptoms of an infection/disease shall not be permitted to visit.
  
  
• Children will be allowed to visit patients in the medical center as long as they do not pose an infection risk for the patient and as long as there is not a risk of infection for the child that is visiting. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
  
  
• Visitors are not permitted in the newborn nursery, surgical area and labor/deliver suites.
  
  
• Visitors are permitted into the Intensive Care Unit, Recovery Room and Emergency Room under established policy and at the discretion of the attending physician and the nurse in charge.
  
  
• Visitors will leave the room when asked to do so, during a physician's visit, while receiving a treatment or upon the request of the staff involved in the care of the patient.

Members of the immediate family may visit the patient in Intensive Care at the discretion of the nurse in charge. Visiting is limited to one visitor at a time, except when a child is visiting and a responsible adult must be in attendance. Your visitors may be asked to leave at change of shift to provide confidentiality.

During the first two hours after delivery, visitors will be allowed at the discretion of the mother, doctor and nurse. Following this time, visitors will be allowed at the discretion of the mother. Visiting hours start at 10:00 a.m. No children under 12 are allowed except for siblings of the newborn.

Parents and/or significant others are encouraged to stay with the pediatric patient at all times to alleviate stress and fear of the child.

While you are in surgery, your family may wait in the waiting room near the surgical area. The doctor or surgery staff will routinely give the family reports at this location.

Visitors shall be limited to immediate family only when a patient is in Strict Isolation, Respiratory Isolation or other categories of isolation. These visitors shall adhere to isolation precautions as instructed by the medical center personnel. Children under the age of 12 shall not be allowed to visit in an isolation room without express written consent from the physician and they are deemed capable of wearing appropriate protective equipment. Children under the age of 6 shall not be allowed in an isolation room for their own safety. There must be a responsible adult that can take care of that child in a waiting room or in the front lobby.

A family member may stay overnight with a seriously ill patient. Individual arrangements may be made by consulting with the nursing staff. Visitors are not allowed to sleep in the second bed in a semi-private room.

It will be necessary for family members to use the Emergency Services Entrance when the other medical center entrance doors are locked between the hours of 9:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.