December 15, 2020 3:45 a.m.

Mercy Medical Center has recently made changes to its guidelines for visitors.

A release said due to the increasing number of patients being cared for and the pressure on the staff, emergency changes have been made.

*For COVID positive patients, no visitors are allowed except for compassionate care for patients at the end of life, or those who have a disability that requires assistance in making care decisions or with daily living activities

*For outpatients, visitors are no longer allowed. That includes day surgery, imaging, lab, heart center procedures, wound care, infusion services, and pulmonary function patients

*Visiting hours are now 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. each day

Emergency Department patients may continue to have one visitor per day. Family BirthPlace patients may have one support person, but no visitors. Pediatric patients may have both parents with them. No visitors under age 12 are allowed into the hospital.

The release said visitors must comply with PPE requirements and might be excluded from having visitation privileges if they fail to pass the screening process.

Go to: https://www.chimercyhealth.com/ for more information.