Updated October 3, 2022
For the safety of our patients and staff and to lower their likelihood of exposure to any illness, including COVID-19, UPMC is temporarily limiting access to our facilities to only patients, identified and approved support persons, staff, and essential vendors.
Our visitation policies are based on information and guidelines from national, state, and local health care officials.
As of Oct. 3, 2022, UPMC will continue to limit patient support persons in our facilities, per our Patient Support Person Guidelines that vary by facility and service type. We will no longer require the added step of documentation.
UPMC removed the visitor age requirement, which previously limited visitors to age 18 and older. Now, children who have the ability to wear a mask are permitted to visit with inpatients and accompany loved ones during outpatient visits. This will support in improving our patients’ overall experience.
Important note related to changes in the visitation policy: Please see below for stipulations at UPMC Emergency Departments, UPMC Chautauqua, and UPMC Hillman Cancer Center locations.
This page will be updated frequently to reflect the latest updates to visitation guidelines at all UPMC locations. Detailed information for each location can be found in the expandable sections below.
We continue to require people who come to any UPMC facility to wear a facemask that covers their nose and mouth and to practice other prevention efforts like physical distancing, even if they are fully vaccinated.
If you are unable to wear a mask for medical reason(s), please talk with a staff member for reasonable accommodations.
We are committed to keeping our facilities, staff, patients, and all other visitors as safe as possible. UPMC asks all visitors, regardless of vaccination status, to help keep our vulnerable patients and support persons safe by wearing a mask and maintaining hand hygiene.
We encourage you to use FaceTime, Skype, Zoom, and phone calls to virtually visit with loved ones while they are in the hospital. If you need help with this, please let a staff member know.
Support persons are identified by the patient and can be a spouse, partner, family member, or trusted friend. Patients who have someone who can help them manage and communicate about their care often have less anxiety, understand their care better, recover faster, and are better prepared to return home. They are an important part of the care team.
Inpatient and outpatient visitation is currently restricted, outlined below. All UPMC hospitals and facilities will follow these guidelines, except when local or state regulations differ. Because of this, UPMC Chautauqua's visitation policies are listed separately below. UPMC Western Maryland follows UPMC visitation guidelines unless otherwise stated.
All non-COVID-19 inpatients, including Obstetrics, Labor & Delivery, Pediatrics, and NICU
All outpatient, including procedural areas (GI lab and cath lab), ambulatory and surgical services, outpatient facilities (MRI, imaging, therapy, etc.), and physician offices
All UPMC Hillman Cancer Center locations
All UPMC Emergency Department locations
Inpatients being tested for or diagnosed with COVID-19
Obstetrics and NICU inpatients being tested for or diagnosed with COVID-19
Outpatients and Emergency Department patients being tested for or diagnosed with COVID-19
End of Life (any setting)
Transitional care unit (TCU) patients
Beginning December 6, 2021, UPMC Chautauqua will allow two patient support persons from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. each day for patients not admitted with suspected or confirmed COVID-19.
Same-Day Procedural and Surgical Patients
One patient support person may accompany the patient into the facility and may remain with the patient until the initial intake process is complete.
Pediatrics, Labor & Delivery (L&D), NICU, and patients with intellectual, developmental, or cognitive disability guidelines:
UPMC Western Maryland will follow UPMC visitation guidelines, unless otherwise stated below.
View the State of Maryland's Notice. Exceptions to this order may be made with the approval of hospital leadership for compassionate care, end-of-life situations, and for patients with disabilities ― as defined by the ADA as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, a person who has a history or record of such an impairment, or a person who is perceived by others as having such an impairment.
Support Person Exceptions (UPMC Western Maryland only):
With many senior living residents and employees vaccinated across the country, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have issued updated guidance for long-term care facilities, impacting UPMC Senior Communities and our hospital-based Transitional Care Units (TCUs), lifting most on-site visitation restrictions.
Families with questions should contact the specific facility for guidance on that location’s current support person visitation approach. Visit our individual Senior Communities residence websites for location-specific details.
In addition to visitor restrictions, UPMC is continuing to safely reintroduce essential, approved volunteers in our hospitals. They will support areas that provide facility safety and positive experiences for patients and staff. Volunteers will not have contact with COVID-19 patients or patients who are suspected of having COVID-19. We are committed to protecting the safety of our volunteers and all others in our facilities.
On-site volunteers:
Permitted volunteer activities include:
You may contact hospital-based Volunteer Services departments for details specific to local programs.
We will continue to evaluate and update our volunteer protocols as needed.
Providers deemed essential to a patient's care and well-being, and vendors necessary for patient care and/or hospital operations, may enter facilities in some circumstances.
If possible, interactions with vendors should continue to be done via virtual options. If having a vendor on-site would have direct benefit to patient care, operations, and/or supports a strategic initiative, vendor visits can be coordinated on a case-by-case basis with hospital leadership. On-site vendors are required to abide by all masking and social distancing requirements in each of our facilities.
The following guidelines will apply:
Clergy and Pastoral Care
Hospice and Home Care Providers
Post-Acute Liaisons
Vendors / Dock Deliveries
Other
We will provide regular updates as we continually evaluate vendors who may enter our facilities as operational needs grow.