PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center adjust visitor policy to allow for limited visitor access

With community transmission falling in Clark County, beginning Feb. 25 PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center will lift its ‘no visitor’ policy to allow one visitor per day, per patient, with some limited exceptions. For patients confirmed with COVID-19, the ‘no visitors’ policy remains, with limited exceptions.

This decision was made with the desire to balance safety with patient and community satisfaction. The hospital will continue to diligently monitor the prevalence of COVID-19 in the community as the health and safety of caregivers, patients and community remains top priority. Any exceptions to the policy will be made at the discretion of PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center’s clinical care leadership.

“We recognize that having a loved one by a patient’s side is important during a hospital stay. We believe these changes best balance the comfort of our patients and families with effectively safeguarding against the spread of COVID-19 for our patients, employees and the broader community,” said Sean Gregory, PeaceHealth Columbia Network Chief Executive. “With COVID-19 still in our community, we encourage everyone to remain vigilant about mask wearing, social distancing and limiting our gatherings.”

Consistent with current safety measures at PeaceHealth facilities, all visitors will be screened for fever and COVID-19 symptoms before entering the facility. Visitors must also wear a mask during their entire visit.

This visitor policy adjustment impacts only hospital visitation and does not change the visitor restrictions at any PeaceHealth medical clinics.

Visit peacehealth.org/coronavirus for more information about safety measures at PeaceHealth, as well as other education and prevention resources related to COVID-19. 

Joanna Yorke-Payne
Joanna Yorke is the managing editor of the Vancouver Business Journal. She has worked in the journalism field since 2010 after graduating from the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication at Washington State University in Pullman. Yorke worked at The Reflector Newspaper in Battle Ground for six years and then worked at and helped start ClarkCountyToday.com.

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