Visitation restrictions shift to ‘moderate’ at YRMC

With the number of COVID-19 patients receiving care at Yuma Regional Medical Center (YRMC) on decline, the hospital is transitioning from the “substantial” to “moderate” tier of its visitation plan.

According to a Monday press release, restrictions remain in place at the hospital’s main campus at 2400 S. Avenue A and its facilities throughout Yuma County.

The “moderate” visitation restrictions grant limited access to visitors age 18 and older, with policies “tailored to the specific needs of each area and its patients,” YRMC said, explaining that visitation restrictions are enforced to jointly protect the health of patients, employees and the community at large.

Patients receiving care in the hospital’s main bed tower, which includes the intensive care unit, can now welcome two pre-designated visitors – though only one per day – for the duration of their hospitalization. Visiting hours for these areas span 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Patients at the hospital’s outpatient clinics and facilities are able to have one family member or loved one accompany them per visit.

In COVID-19 and isolation rooms, one pre-designated visitor per patient may visit for one hour a day between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.

In the emergency department, patients may bring one companion, who will be allowed to stay with them for the duration of their visit. The same allowances apply to the labor and delivery/mother-baby department as well. Companions for surgeries require special exceptions, owing to spacing constraints in the facilities’ waiting areas.

In the pediatric and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), two parents or legal guardians are permitted at all hours. At the YRMC Cancer Center, patients may have one companion for clinic visits, but still need to come alone for treatments.

All visitors will continue to be subject to a health screening process; visitors who have recently tested positive for COVID-19 or who are experiencing COVID-like symptoms will not be able to visit with their loved ones.

According to Erin Brandt, director of patient experience and care advocacy, these decisions have been made with a great deal of thought and intention on YRMC’s part. The organization conducts daily reviews of its COVID-19 patient counts; when that number is sustained within the desired threshold for a minimum of seven days without fluctuation, visitation restrictions can transition to a lower tier.

The transition to moderate-level restrictions is simply another step toward more “normal” policies and not an indicator that Yuma is in the clear – yet.

“It’s a signal that we’re moving in the right direction,” Brandt said. “We know that having visitors or companions there when you’re healing is extremely important, and we want to move back to that as soon as it’s deemed safer. This is a transitional point; we’re not back to open visitation yet.”

Brandt added that hospitalizations are a lagging indicator of COVID-19 transmission in a community; typically those numbers are among the last to decline.

“We want to make sure everyone in the community knows that continuing with masking and social distancing and all of the things that have gone into bringing us where we are today is so important – and it’s not time to stop those things,” she said. “This is just one step closer to us getting back to what everyone wants. As the access to vaccines increases and we’re able to vaccinate more of our community, we’re going to be in an even better position to move toward that. We’re very encouraged to see us moving to this next tier and we’re hopeful that we’ll be able to open (visitations) up a little bit more here soon.”