With Covid-19 cases surging, hospitals across Western New York are again limiting visitation within their walls.
Catholic Health System late Monday announced non-Covid-19 patients in its hospitals will generally be limited to one visitor at a time during reduced hours, beginning Wednesday.
Hospital visiting hours will be from noon to 6 p.m. daily at Kenmore Mercy Hospital, Mercy Hospital of Buffalo, Mount St. Mary’s Hospital and Sisters of Charity Hospital, Main St. and St. Joseph campuses. In-person visitation is not permitted in restricted Covid-19 units, aside from patients receiving end-of-life care.
Catholic Health's announcement came the same day Erie County Medical Center also returned to a more restrictive patient visitation policy, limiting patients to one visitor per day during a six-hour visitation window.Â
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Beginning Monday, patients at ECMC will be limited to one visitor per day during a six-hour visitation window.
Kaleida Health did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment about whether it was evaluating similar visitor restrictions.
The region's hospitals have seen an increasing number of patients hospitalized with Covid-19 in recent weeks. That rising caseload, paired with staffing challenges that make it difficult to operate the maximum amount of beds, has put many Western New York hospitals at or near capacity. ECMC, for one, also had, as of last week, 50 patients who are medically cleared to be discharged but remain at the hospital because of difficulty finding alternative care for them in the community, tying up more beds.
Come Wednesday at Catholic Health, hospital visitors, limited to those 18 or older, will be required to undergo a health screening, complete an online registration process and follow all safety guidelines, including wearing a mask at all times and washing or sanitizing their hands before and after each visit.
Those who report significant Covid-19 exposure or symptoms in the last 10 days, or have a temperature of 100 degrees or higher, will not be permitted to visit.
Emergency department patients may be accompanied by one visitor for "a period of time based on patient census and other factors determined by the clinical team," the health system said.
Maternity patients, meanwhile, will continue to be allowed two support persons for the duration of their hospital stay, but additional visitors will not be permitted, Catholic Health said.
