DCH Updates Visitation Policy Effective Oct. 2, 2020

With the recent updates to Governor Kay Ivey's Safer at Home, DCH has updated its visitation policy, effective at 12:01 a.m. on Oct. 2, 2020.

Here is a summary of key points.

Fayette’s Long Term Care (LTC) facility will continue to NOT allow indoor visitation. The governor’s order includes long-term care facilities, but points to parameters from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for determining visitation timing. One visitation requirement for LTCs is a county positivity rate below 10 percent. Fayette County’s positivity rate is currently 16.4 percent. Outdoor visitation will continue using the visitation booth until all indoor requirements have been met.

Starting Oct. 2 at 12:01 a.m., all of DCH’s acute care hospitals will expand visitation to one healthy visitor per non-COVID-19 positive patient.

The governor’s order excludes visitation with COVID-19 positive patients. At DCH, visitors will not be allowed while a patient is known or suspected to be positive for COVID-19 except for certain extenuating circumstances including end of life.

The full policy can be found on DCH’s website here: https://www.dchsystem.com/covid-19/visitation-policy/.