Knoxville Area Hospitals Join Together to Change Visitation Policy

7/10/2020

KNOXVILLE, TN (July 10, 2020) – The Knoxville area’s four local hospital systems have collaborated over the past few months to monitor and address the evolving COVID-19 impact on our region. In response to the steadily increasing number of COVID-19 cases in our area, Covenant Health, Tennova Healthcare and The University of Tennessee Medical Center have collectively made the decision to update our current visitation policies for the health and safety of our patients and team members as well as the community.

Visitation policies at East Tennessee Children’s Hospital will not change due to the nature of the patients served there. Additionally, the current visitation restrictions at the health systems’ skilled nursing facilities or behavioral health units will not change.

Effective Monday, July 13, the updated visitor restrictions for Covenant Health, Tennova Healthcare and The University of Tennessee Medical Center will include the following:

• Each patient may have one designated visitor for the duration of their appointment, procedure or hospital stay.
  • It must be the same visitor the entire time.
  • Visitation is contingent upon wearing cloth face covering or mask.
  • Visitors will be screened for COVID-19 symptoms, including temperature checks.
  • These visitor restrictions apply to all our inpatient and outpatient locations and clinics, including doctors’ offices both on- and off-campus.
• There are a few exceptions:
  • Women giving birth may have two support people and a certified doula during labor and delivery. After delivery, mom’s same two support people can visit for the remainder of her stay.
  • Both parents of babies in the NICU may visit at the same time for the duration of baby’s stay.
  • Some patients, including those with positive or pending COVID-19 test results, may not be allowed to have a visitor.

In addition to the updated visitor restrictions, area hospitals are asking the community to partner with us to slow the spread of COVID-19 by following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines, Most importantly, when outside your homes, please:

• Wear face coverings/masks
• Maintain social distancing
• Practice hand hygiene

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