Temporary Visitation Guidelines
Because flu spreads so quickly from one person to the next, we have decided to make some changes in our visitation guidelines to help reduce exposure to the flu and keep the hospital environment as safe as possible for our patients. Effective November 9, 2009:
- Children 18 years old and under should not come to the hospital unless they are patients.
- Only family members—spouses, parents, adult children, partners or caretakers—should visit.
- Other family members and friends are encouraged to send well wishes to patients through cards, phone calls, and/or the hospital’s free CarePages service
- Individuals with flu-like symptoms (e.g., fever, cough or respiratory symptoms) will not be permitted to visit.
- People who have been in contact with someone with flu-like illness in the last two days may be carrying the flu and should not visit the hospital.
- Only two family members should be in a patient room at a time to prevent the spread of flu.
If you have questions or concerns, please speak with your doctor or nurse.
MassGeneral Hospital for Children encourages a nurturing and healing environment and we strongly believe involved parents and family members play a vital role on a child’s road to recovery.
Overnight Stays for Parents
Please keep in mind that having a hospitalized child can be physically and emotionally draining. So if you’d like to stay overnight, MassGeneral Hospital for Children usually recommends that one parent stay at a time, so the other can go home and rest. However, if both parents want to stay and it’s in the child’s best interest, we will accommodate your wishes. If you need information about hotels, please see overnight accommodations.
Inpatient Floors Locked at Night
From 8:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. the doors to inpatient units are locked. If family visitors come during this time, a representative from the hospital reception area will alert the inpatient floor that your child has a visitor.
E-mail and Gift Shop
We do encourage keeping in touch with patients by mail or e-mail. We also have a gift shop filled with all kinds of goodies for children as well as gifts and necessities for adults.
