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Saint John's Health Center New Visitor Policy

At Providence Saint John’s Health Center, visitors play an important role in supporting the well-being and recovery of our patients. We respect each patient’s right to have visitors and access to their support person throughout their stay.

Every patient has the right to determine who may and may not visit them, regardless of whether the visitor is legally related to the patient. Every patient will have the right to withdraw from visitation or deny visitation from others at any time.

Patients are allowed up to two healthy visitors at a time. During flu season (Nov. 1-April 30), all visitors must be 13 years of age or older and must be free of any symptoms of cold, flu, respiratory virus or any other contagious illness. Minors 13 to 17 years of age must be accompanied by an adult.

Providence Saint John’s Health Center follows masking guidance from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. Masking is required for all visitors to help keep our patients, caregivers, physicians and other visitors safe. Masks will be available upon entry into the hospital.

Exceptions to the number of visitors permitted in specific inpatient and outpatient areas are noted below.

Guidelines Throughout Your Visit

  • Per the Los Angeles California Department of Public Health, masking is strongly recommended. Signage for passive screening will continue to be posted at all entrances and masks will continue to be available upon entry into the hospital.
  • Masking will continue to be required for visitors of patients who are COVID-19 positive or patients under investigation (PUI).
  • Masking will be required for all visitors, regardless of COVID-19 vaccination status, should COVID-19 hospital admission levels reach medium or higher, or a COVID-19 outbreak occur.
  • Quiet hours in the hospital extend from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. daily. We encourage visitation outside of these hours to promote a restful environment. 
  • Visitors are asked to limit their location to the patient’s room and its immediate vicinity. For the safety of visitors and staff, hallways should remain quiet and clear.
  • Children are welcome in most inpatient areas with adult supervision.
  • Visitors must be free from any signs and symptoms of illness (cold, flu, COVID-19) and must not have tested positive for COVID within the past 10 days or require isolation, per guidance from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.
  • Patients With or Suspected of Having COVID-19: Visitors must report to the unit’s nursing station before visiting a patient in isolation. All visitors must follow appropriate PPE and masking guidelines, as directed by hospital staff.

Guidelines for Specific Inpatient and Outpatient Areas

The number of visitors is limited in the following areas due to space limitations:

  • Emergency Department: One visitor; for pediatric patients, two parents or guardians.
  • Intensive Care Unit (ICU): Two visitors.
  • Procedural Areas (Pre-op): One visitor at a time.
  • Procedural Areas (Post-op): One visitor in the recovery room (PACU) for 5-10 minutes. If a patient is being discharged home, one visitor may come back to the recovery room to receive the patient’s discharge instructions. If the patient is being admitted, hospital staff will notify visitors which room the patient is being admitted to and then the standard visitation policy will apply.
  • Labor and Delivery: Two healthy visitors, not including the patient’s partner. The doula is counted as a visitor. Minors are limited to the newborn’s siblings and must be accompanied by an adult.
  • Post-Partum: Two healthy visitors, not including the patient’s partner. Minors are limited to the newborn’s siblings and must be accompanied by an adult; all other visitors must be over 16 years old to visit. Visitors are restricted from 1:30-3:30 p.m. daily to promote parent and newborn bonding.
  • Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU): Two visitors are allowed in the NICU at a time. One visitor must be a banded parent. Minors 13 to 17 years of age are limited to newborn’s siblings and must be supervised at all times. In the NICU, visitors are restricted from 6:30-7:30 a.m. and 6:30-7:30 p.m. daily. Visitors are also restricted from 10-11 a.m. Tuesday.
  • All Other Areas: Two healthy visitors may visit a patient at a time.
  • Exemptions can be made on a case-by-case basis (e.g., compassionate use).

Visitation Restriction

Providence Saint John’s will not restrict, limit or otherwise deny visitation privileges, unless the visitation interferes with a patient’s medical care, a patient’s privacy or the hospital’s therapeutic environment. In these cases, you will be informed of the reasons for any restrictions, limitations or denial of visitation.

In addition, Providence Saint John’s maintains the right to limit visitation when individuals are not complying with security screening guidelines, infection prevention practices — including wearing an appropriate mask covering the nose and mouth — and for any behavior that presents a safety risk to our patients, staff or organization.

Thank you for your understanding and for contributing to our healing environment.