COVID-19 Resource Center / Visitor Policy
Visitor Policy
Updated on 12/6/22
Stanford Health Care’s visitor policy is in place to help keep our patients and staff as safe as possible.
Stanford Medicine strongly encourages visitors to be fully vaccinated. Visitors must not have any of the following symptoms:
- Fever or chills
- Cough
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Fatigue
- Muscle or body aches
- Headache
- New loss of taste or smell
- Sore throat
- Congestion or runny nose
- Nausea or vomiting
- Diarrhea
Stanford Health Care does not provide immediate on-site COVID-19 testing. For testing locations, visit COVID-19 Testing or Testing (ca.gov).
Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley maintains an independent visitor policy.
- Self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms and not to enter a facility if they have symptoms that may be related to COVID-19, respiratory, or any other contagious infectious illness.
- Wear a mask at all times, even when in an exam room.
- Comply with masking requirements throughout the visit, including at all times when in the patient room.
- Avoid eating or drinking in the exam room or waiting areas.
- Visitors who do not comply with these requirements or exhibit other behavior that endangers the health or safety of patients or staff will be asked to leave and may have future visitation revoked.
- Visitation may be delayed, altered, or refused based on the care needs of individual patients as deemed appropriate through agreement between the patient’s nurse and physician.
- Normally two (2) visitors per patient can be accommodated at one time.
- Inpatient daytime visiting hours are limited to 8:00am-8:00pm.
- Inpatient Psychiatry visiting hours:
- Monday-Friday: 6:30pm - 8:30pm
- Weekends and holidays: 12:00pm - 8:30pm.
- Inpatient Psychiatry visiting hours:
- Overnight visitors:
- Inpatients in a private room may have one (1) overnight visitor with the approval of the patient and nursing staff.
- Inpatients in a non-private room are permitted to have one (1) overnight visitor under specific circumstances as approved by the patient, patient’s roommate, and Department Manager.
- Inpatients in a private room may have one (1) overnight visitor with the approval of the patient and nursing staff.
- Isolation: All visitors of patients in protective precautions and respiratory isolation must check with the nursing staff prior to visiting. The nursing staff will instruct the visitor in proper isolation techniques.
- Children/minors may visit a patient if they are accompanied and supervised by an adult.
- Inpatient Visitor Exception Approval Process:
- Requests for visitation not covered by this protocol must be submitted to the Visitor Exception Committee
- The Visitor Exception Committee is a multidisciplinary team whose charge is to evaluate requests for exceptions not covered in this protocol.
- Waiting Area:
- All patients will be allowed one (1) healthy caregiver to accompany them to a designated waiting area prior to being brought into Pre-Op.
- To manage space constraints, the visitor may be asked to wait off-site once the patient goes in for their procedure.
- Pre-Op:
- Visitors are not permitted during the pre-op assessment phase except in the following situations:
- One (1) healthy caregiver will be allowed to accompany
- Patients who are minors under age
- Patients with physical, intellectual, and/or developmental disabilities and patients with cognitive impairments.
- Obstetric patients delivering in an SHC OR may have their support person in the OR during the delivery.
- Patients who require assistance during the pre-op nursing assessment, so the care team has accurate information to safely care for the patient
- One (1) healthy caregiver will be allowed to accompany
- During the pre-op phone call, the patient will be assessed to determine if they meet the above criteria for having a caregiver accompany them into pre op during the initial nursing assessment.
- Visitors are not permitted during the pre-op assessment phase except in the following situations:
- PACU:
- Once a patient transitions to Level 2 care, one (1) healthy caregiver may be allowed in the PACU.
- Patients coming to clinic visits may bring 1 caregiver with them who is 16+
- The visitor must self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms and not to enter our health care facilities if they have symptoms that may be related to COVID-19, respiratory, or any other contagious infectious illness
- The caregiver may be asked to step outside if the area becomes too crowded.
- One (1) healthy adult visitor is permitted to accompany each patient in the emergency department
- Visitors are also allowed in the following situations:
- For patients at end of life, defined as imminent death of the patient within 24 hours,
- Up to three (3) healthy visitors will be allowed.
- For patients who are deceased:
- Up to three (3) healthy visitors will be allowed.
- For patients at end of life, defined as imminent death of the patient within 24 hours,
- The decision to allow visitors for any situation not covered in this guideline will be made following a review by the ED Charge RN in consult with the Manager on call.
- All patients in the ACA designated bays will be allowed up to two (2) healthy caregivers at the bedside per day, one (1) at a time, during designated hospital visiting hours.
- Caregivers will need to remain in the bay assigned to the patient.
- Caregivers may not use patient restrooms.
- Caregivers will not be allowed to stay overnight.
Virtual visits are a good way to support your loved one.
Call Guest Services for help at 650-498-3333.
Visitor Rules
Visiting hours: 8:00 am to 8:00 pm.
All entrants must be healthy and not have any of the symptoms listed above. Be prepared to show identification and give contact information at the hospital entry.
Go directly to the patients room. Please do not stay in hallways or waiting areas.
Note: For patients in a shared (semi-private) room, visiting hours and rules may be different.
Wear your mask at all times.
Stay 6 feet from others.
Use hand sanitizer when you enter and leave the patient's room.
Do not eat or drink in patient rooms.
We want to support you and your loved ones at the end of life. The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) can spread easily and we want to keep you and our staff safe. To support you, staff and your loved ones we have developed some guidelines we ask you to follow. These restrictions are modeled from policies at other health organizations, as well as guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the California State Department of Health.
A visit to a loved one with COVID-19 at end-of-life will put you at a higher risk of disease but these risks can be mitigated by following the steps outlined below. If you have any questions, please talk to the nurse taking care of your loved one.
- Talk to your loved one’s nurse about approval to enter the hospital. All visitors entering the hospital must be pre-approved and healthy.
- The number of people allowed in the room at any one time will be limited.
- The amount of time you can stay will also be limited as the longer a visitor spends with an individual who has COVID-19, the greater the risk of getting the virus.
- Once you are outside of the hospital room you will need to work with a nurse to put on Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) including a gown, gloves, eye protection and a new mask. You must wash your hands or use alcohol sanitizer upon entering and leaving the room and hospital to prevent the spread of disease.
- Although death is a time to support each other with compassion, due to the possibility of transmission, visitors should not hug or physically comfort patients or other family members. The outside of the PPE can become contaminated and could spread disease. Please reserve personal contact among family for only after PPE is taken off, a new mask is on, and hands are washed.
- Once you are in the room you must stay there until you call for a nurse to help you leave or you are asked to leave because a nurse or doctor needs to provide care. Follow the lead of the health care team. There is no food or drink allowed in the room and you will not be able to go in and out of the room or hospital.
- When you leave, a nurse will help you take off the PPE and put on a clean mask. You must immediately exit the hospital after leaving the room.
If you are not able to be in the room or at the bedside we do have ways to connect you through private video or phone calls. The nurse can help or you can call Guest Services at 650-498-3333.