Visitation policy explained to help fight coronavirus (COVID-19) spread

New Haven, CT (March 21, 2020) - Due to the continued concern regarding coronavirus (COVID-19), all Yale New Haven Health facilities have limited visitor access to patients at the hospitals as well as outpatient facilities in Connecticut, New York and Rhode Island, including Northeast Medical Group offices. We understand that this can be very upsetting to both patients and family members and we ask for your patience as we go through these unprecedented times.

Effective immediately:

• To keep our patients, visitors and staff safe, due to the highly contagious nature of COVID-19, there is no visitation to hospitalized patients. Rare exceptions to this policy may be made at the discretion of the patient’s clinical team and we will do our best to accommodate exceptions where possible, but our first priority is to protect the health of our patients, visitors and staff.
• Among the visitor exceptions that can be made will be for maternity patients, children who are patients, patients for whom end-of-life is imminent, NICU patients, and patients with altered mental status or developmental delays.
• We encourage visitors to remain closely connected to their loved ones through virtual means, including Skype, FaceTime and/or phone.
• All visitors who do enter the hospital will be screened for evidence of illness by the staff at the front desk. Should questions arise, front desk staff will contact clinical leadership for guidance.
• Visitors who are sick will not be permitted to enter the hospital; this is without exception.

Again, these rare exceptions will be made by the patient’s clinical team.

Yale New Haven Health has established a call center for patients, staff and community members who have questions about COVID-19. Healthcare professionals from the health system are available to answer specific questions seven days a week from 7 am - 7 pm. The call center can be reached at 833-ASK-YNHH (833-275-9644).

Yale New Haven Health (YNHHS), the largest and most comprehensive healthcare system in Connecticut, is recognized for advanced clinical care, quality, service, cost effectiveness and commitment to improving the health status of the communities it serves. YNHHS includes five hospitals – Bridgeport, Greenwich, Lawrence + Memorial, Westerly and Yale New Haven hospitals, several specialty networks and Northeast Medical Group, a non-profit medical foundation with several hundred community-based and hospital-employed physicians. YNHHS is affiliated with Yale University and Yale Medicine, the clinical practice of the Yale School of Medicine and the largest academic multi-specialty practice in New England. Yale New Haven Hospital is the primary teaching hospital of Yale School of Medicine. www.ynhhs.org