Patients determine who visits them and when, as visitors can be an important part of the healing process. Please respect their wishes.
Visitors will be asked for photo identification and their reason for entering the hospital, and will be given a guest pass that must be worn in the hospital.
Passes are good for only one day, so repeat visitors must check in for a new badge. Greeters are available to help with badges and provide directions to the appropriate department or patient care unit.
Hospital visitors leaving any of the campuses after dark can request a security escort to their car. Please see the nurse or dial 0 to request additional information and assistance.
Visitor Guidelines
No more than two visitors per patient are allowed at any one time. Nursing and other hospital staff may restrict visitors and visiting hours at any time.
Quiet time is all the time. Please be as quiet as possible in corridors and patient rooms and be considerate of all patients and visitors. We ask that you respect patient and roommate wishes for privacy, rest and comfort.
Please remember the person you are visiting is in the hospital for treatment and recovery. Keep your visit brief and quiet. Be positive, encouraging, and cheerful.
Children under 14 may only visit patients who are immediate family members (parents, grandparents, siblings) and must be under the direct supervision of an adult other than the patient.
Siblings of the infant are the only minors allowed to visit Mother/Infant Care. Parents of a patient who is a minor may determine who visits the patient.
Visitors with colds, sore throats or any contagious diseases should refrain from visiting until they are completely well. If a communicable disease outbreak occurs within the community, visitation may be restricted.
Latex balloons are prohibited. Latex can cause severe allergic reactions in some patients. Mylar balloons are permitted.
Visiting a Pediatric Unit
Parents are encouraged to help bathe, feed, change diapers, and care for their child as much as possible, as this helps decrease stress. Please let the nurse know what care you want to provide and when you would like to provide it.
To prevent Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and suffocation, parents are not allowed to sleep in the same bed with children younger than one year.
Because of space limitations, we encourage only one parent to spend the night. A foldout bed, reclining chair or cot will be provided when available. During the night, please position your bed to maintain a clear path to your child for the nurses. The evening staff will supply you with bed linens.
There is a shower, which you are welcome to use. The staff will provide towels upon request. Please keep the area clean as a courtesy to the other visitors. The bathroom in your room is for patient use only. Please use the public rest room at the end of the hall or in the lobby.
There is a phone at each patient’s bedside. Dial 9 for outside calls. For long distance calls, dial 9 then 0. These calls must either be collect or credit card. All calls to your room may be placed through the hospital operator, at 805-682-7111, by identifying the child’s name or room number.
Hours for visitors other than parents are from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Please note that only two visitors are allowed at one time for each patient. If you have more than two visitors, you are welcome to visit in the lobby at the unit entrance. Children who are visiting must be supervised by an adult at all times.
Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU)
Our PICU staff understands how important parental involvement is to healing. Parents may visit anytime; however, we ask that you stay in the room or not come to the unit from 7 - 8 a.m. and 7 - 8 p.m. This is when nurses give reports, and we always want to maintain patient confidentiality. We may also ask you to wait in the visitors lounge during a procedure or emergency.
If it does not compromise care, we allow one parent to sleep at the bedside. Two visitors are allowed at the bedside at a time. We ask that you use the courtesy phone outside the PICU entrance before entering the unit.
We also ask that you wash your hands when entering and leaving your child’s room. This is to ensure the safety of both patients and visitors.
Please do not bring food for yourselves into the room if your child is not permitted to eat. Beverages are acceptable.
Siblings may visit at parents’ and nurses’ discretion. A child life specialist is available to help with these visits.
Telephone Calls
Parents are welcome to call the unit at any time. Your child’s nurse will give you any information and assistance if they are free to leave the bedside. If not, please leave a number for a return call. Information will be given to parents only. Please inform family and friends that we cannot give information to anyone other than the parents.
There is a bedside phone in each room which the family may use for local outgoing calls. You may use a calling card or call collect for long distance calls. Please dial 9 to get an outside line.
We appreciate your cooperation as we work together to give the best possible care for your child. If any questions or problems arise, please feel free to contact any member of the nursing staff.
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)
When visiting the NICU, please identify yourself on the air-phone by the entrance, indicating your relationship to the baby and the baby’s last name. Parents are welcome in the NICU at any time. As babies need a quiet environment to heal and grow, only two people (parents included) are allowed at the bedside at one time. A parent may bring a guest, one at a time. Grandparents may visit without the parents present, but are not permitted to bring guests. Children 10 and older may visit with a parent. Please ensure that all visitors have not been sick and currently show no signs of illness.
We have a waiting room where other guests and family may wait. Children need an adult present at all times in the waiting room.
Please do a three-minute scrub before entering the unit. A yellow gown is needed if you are going to hold your baby.
As your baby’s condition stabilizes, we will help you participate in their care as much as possible and prepare you for their homecoming.
Security
All NICU employees wear badges. To help us keep your baby safe, please do not give your baby, or any information about your baby, to anyone without a badge.
Accommodations
Cottage Health offers cottages for out-of-town parents. They are available for a small fee as needed and as available. Please ask your baby’s nurse for details.
