Salina Regional Health Center is modifying its COVID-19 visitor guidelines due to improving numbers of COVID-19 infection in the community.

Effective Wednesday, all hospital inpatients and outpatients will be able to have two visitors age 12 and older with them in the facility at the same time. Visitors can alternate in and out of the facility throughout the day. Visitors must come and go using the hospital’s main entrance between the hours of 5 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. weekdays, and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends and holidays.

Hospital outpatients had previously been allowed to have only one visitor accompany them for their appointments. All visitors also had previously been required to be age 18 and older.

All Salina SRHC-affiliated clinic patients also will be allowed to have two visitors/assistants accompany them for their appointments.

“We’ve seen continued trends of decreasing COVID-19 activity in recent weeks in both the number of daily positive cases and the number of inpatient admissions at the hospital,” said Bethanie
McDowell, infection prevention director at SRHC. “We will continue masking and screening all patients and visitors entering our facilities following state and federal guidelines for health care providers.”

According to the CDC Tracker for COVID-19, Saline County is listed as a “Low” area of transmission for the virus. On Tuesday, March 29, Salina Regional Health Center had one inpatient with COVID-19. Throughout the month of March the hospital has had a fluctuating daily census of five or fewer COVID-19 inpatients.

Current visitation guidelines can be found at www.srhc.com:

• Inpatient visitors may only enter the hospital Main Entrance between the hours of 5 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. on weekdays, and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends and holidays.
• Inpatients and outpatients are limited to two visitors at the same time. Visitors may alternate in and out of the facility during visiting hours.
• Visitors are not allowed to access the main hospital through the Emergency Department entrance at any time.Visitors are welcome to stay as long as they like within routine hospital visiting hours.
• Visitors will be screened for COVID-19 risk and given an ID bracelet upon entry.
• Visitors must be age 12 or older.
• Visitors will be asked to wear a mask throughout the visit including in hallways, public areas and the patient’s room.
• Compassionate exceptions to these rules will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
• NO VISITORS are permitted for patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19.