Visitor Policy
Current Level: Orange (Visitor Restricted)
In order to keep patients, staff and the community safe during COVID-19, the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) has additional visiting restrictions in place. These include limiting our visiting hours and the number of people entering our facilities.
Current Status: Orange Learn more about the current visitation level.
Who May Visit or Accompany Patients
We understand that many patients need trusted care partners (visitors) to help them heal and maintain their best health. To balance those needs with our safety measures, we have created color-coded visitation levels that creates more flexibility in visitation as conditions allow.
- Care Partners (Visitors): Care partners are the friends and family who provide support and with whom the patient has a significant relationship. Care partners are defined by the patient or, in the case of minors or those without decision making capacity, by their surrogates.
- Designated Support Persons: An individual who is chosen by the patient to be physically present at the hospital to support the patient. A Designated Support Person is not limited to patients with disabilities. A designated support person is knowledgeable about the care of the patient and may be a friend, family member, personal care assistant or disability service provider, and may or may not be legally authorized to make decisions for the patient.
- Communication with Designated Support Persons: If a patient with disabilities does not have a Designated Support Person present at the hospital, staff will attempt to communicate relevant information with a patient's designated representative, in alignment with patient privacy requirements. Effort shall be made to communicate in advance of admission, if possible. The hospital shall inform the patient and any Designated Support Persons, or care partners, of this policy.
- The Designated Support Person must be 18 years of age or older. Exceptions to this age restriction include: 1) if the patient is a minor and the accompanying individual is a parent; 2) if the accompanying individual is the infant of a nursing mother, or 3) if the parent of the patient is under 18 years old.
- Parents or Guardians of Patients Under Age 18: At least one parent or guardian may visit or accompany minor children at all visitation levels, but at some levels there may be additional restrictions. Please review current visitation level for more information.
Care Partners and Support
All care partners must follow the standard rules of each UMMS facility:
- Care partners may not smoke in any area within or outside of the facility.
- Care partners may not give patients any nicotine-related items, medications/drugs not prescribed by the patient's physician, or weapons of any type.
- Food and drink are not permitted in any patient care area.
- Care partners must follow the directions of UMMS staff members.
- In order to create a healing environment, care partners must comply with respectful and quiet conduct towards all patients, other care partners, and staff at all times.
- Violation of any UMMS facility policy will result in the care partner being removed from the premises, and the care partner may be barred from any further visits.