Dallas' Parkland Hospital Reduces Visiting Hours Because Of Rise In COVID Cases
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) — Beginning Wednesday, August 4, Parkland Memorial Hospital is reducing visiting hours to 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. daily on inpatient care units.
Officials say they are making the move because the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations is increasing.
Currently, visitation is limited to one authorized visitor in single-occupancy rooms. All visitors must be designated and approved by patients/families in advance and visitors' approval will be confirmed by Guest Services staff at the lobby entry. Those not on the
patient/family approved visitor list will not be allowed in the hospital.
In addition, patients will only be allowed in the building in which they have an appointment. They cannot go back and forth between Parkland buildings.
As the changes are being made Parkland leaders are also strongly encouraging those who have not yet received their COVID-19 vaccine to do so, especially since more unvaccinated people are being hospitalized with the Delta variant at rates similar to last year's late-fall spike.
"It's simple, people need to get vaccinated because this surge in hospitalizations due to COVID-19 is preventable," said Joseph Chang, MD, Parkland's Chief Medical Officer. "I don't know what else to say. At this point, all the questions have been answered. The evidence is clear, and
the evidence is indisputable."
Visitation Guidelines:
- Visiting hours will be from 2 to 8 p.m. daily.
- At the hospital entrance, visitors will be screened for fever, cough and any exposure to
known COVID+ persons within the last 14 days. Visitors with any positive responses will
not be allowed to visit. - All visitors are required to wear a mask and to cover their nose and mouth at all times.
Visitors not wearing their mask correctly may be asked to leave the hospital. - Visitors will not be allowed to wait in any public spaces such as waiting rooms, cafeteria or
Starbucks lobby. - Visitors will not be allowed to eat in any patient's room unless permission is given by the
Charge Nurse for a special circumstance. - All end-of-life visits will remain flexible, as dictated by the patient's condition.
- Visitors will not be permitted in any of the outpatient clinics, unless a patient has mobility
issues.
COVID unit visitation:
- Visiting hours for the COVID units will also be limited to 2 to 8 p.m. Visitors will be limited
to 30 minutes. - An escort will bring the visitor to the unit and help the visitor with appropriate personal
protective equipment (PPE) upon arrival to the patient room. The escort will advise the
visitor when the 30 minutes are over and will help the visitor remove the PPE. All visitors
will be escorted off the unit and returned to the lobby of the hospital.
Get more information about COVID-19 on the Parkland Hospital website.