Patient and Visitor Information

Employees, visitors, and patients will no longer be required to wear protective masks in our hospitals (inpatient) or clinics (outpatient) with just a few exceptions:

Employees entering an occupied, inpatient room or a patient room in an ED at a hospital to care or provide support to a patient must wear a mask. (So, an employee entering a vacant inpatient room to clean or service it does not need to be masked.)

Employees, visitors, or patients who are exhibiting respiratory symptoms (including but not limited to the following: fever, cough, runny or stuffy nose, sore throat, shortness of breath) must wear masks in all settings, both inpatient and outpatient, and in all public spaces. (Symptomatic inpatients are not required to wear masks in their patient rooms.)

Vaccine-exempt employees are still required to use N95 masks but only in areas where masking is required. For example, they are required to wear an N95 mask, instead of surgical mask, when entering an inpatient room of a non-COVID patient.

In crowded waiting areas and lobbies, such as ED waiting areas, masks are strongly encouraged, but not required.

Inpatients must wear masks when they leave their rooms unless the masks impede their care.

Providers and employees who wish to wear a mask are free to do so – that’s your choice, and we respect that!

Adult Inpatient Units

• Two patient-approved adult primary caretakers/visitors at a time during designated visitation times of 10am – 7:30pm.
• Patients may indicate as many approved adult visitors as they desire.
• Visitors/caretakers are allowed to the exit building and return in same day.
• Two approved visitors for 60 minutes at time of admission and discharge if not within designated visiting hours.
• No overnight visitation allowed.
• COVID-19 positive infectious patients and COVID-19 persons under investigation (PUI): visitation permitted at admission and then every five days pursuant to West Virginia House Bill 2368.
• Exceptions to above with special circumstances will be considered and approved by unit management.

Peri-Operative/Procedural Registration/Diagnostics 

• Adult: One approved visitor with patient for registration and waiting area prior to procedure (if space allows for physical distancing).

Outpatient Appointments

• Adult: One visitor may accompany patient to and remain in room during visit.
• Pediatric: Patients are allowed two visitors.

Emergency Department 

• Adult: One approved visitor (over age of 18) with each adult patient arrival to ED.
• Pediatric: Two approved visitors (over age of 18) with each pediatric patient.
• Obstetric: Two approved visitors (over age of 18) with each obstetric patient.
• Visitor may accompany patient to and remain in room during ED stay with switching out discouraged.
• Approved visitors will be allowed to stay with the patient in the waiting room as long as physical distancing requirements allow.
• When waiting room reaches a point where physical distancing cannot be met, the following will occur:
  • Adult Patients: Visitors with adult patients will be asked to wait outside or in their vehicle unless the patient requires the visitor to assist with maintaining safety (examples: deaf/blind patients, low mental capacity, significant mobility limitations).
  • Pediatric Patients: In cases where a pediatric patient has two visitors, one visitor will be asked to wait outside or in their vehicle.
  • Obstetric Patients: In cases where an obstetric patient has two visitors, one visitor will be asked to wait outside or in their vehicle.

End-of-Life Circumstances

Additional accommodations will be coordinated to support family presence during end-of-life circumstances as warranted pursuant to West Virginia House Bill 2368.