For the safety of our patients, staff and community, Sleepy Eye Medical Center has updated its visitor guidelines as of January 7, 2022. All visitors must pass the screening process prior to being allowed entrance. We appreciate your ongoing cooperation.
Clinic, Urgent Care, Outreach, Laboratory, Rehab and Radiology Patients
May be accompanied by one individual* after passing the screening process.
Hospital and Emergency Department
Hospital inpatients and patients in the emergency department will be allowed visits by one healthy individual after passing the screening process.
*Please Note: Once the designated visitor/visitors leave, he/she will not be able to re-enter that day.
Exceptions to the Above
- Compassionate exceptions may be made under certain circumstances, allowing additional visitors. This will be determined on a case-by-case basis.
- Pediatric patients (patients under 18 years of age) will be allowed two legal guardian/parent visitors.
- Patients requesting spiritual care will be allowed one clergy member. (This excludes the one visitor per day.)
Guidelines for Approved Visitors
- All visitors will be screened for symptoms consistent with COVID-19. Visitors who do not pass the screening will not be allowed to accompany a patient
- Visitors must wear a medical-grade mask and symptom-screening sticker at all times in the facility.
- SEMC will provide a medical-grade mask if they do not have one. Any visitor who does not comply will be asked to leave
- Visitors must use hand hygiene frequently when in the building.
- Visitors under the age of 18 will not be allowed.
- If there are capacity issues in the waiting area, visitors may be asked to wait in their car or outside the building.
- SEMC staff will provide instruction to approved visitors before entering patients’ rooms: hand hygiene, social distancing, limiting surfaces touched, and the use of PPE according to hospital policy.
- Inpatient visiting hours: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Patient-specific Visitor Guidelines
COVID-19/PUI Patients
Visitors will not be allowed, except under end-of-life compassionate exceptions, for patients with confirmed COVID-19 or suspected COVID-19 (PUI).
Labor and Delivery Patients
- One designated support person (spouse or paternal partner) will be allowed during delivery and the patient stay.
- In addition, a doula or “labor support individual” will be allowed to be with the obstetric patient through the entire labor and delivery and up to two hours post-partum.
- One visitor per day (excluding the support) will be allowed. Must be 18 years of age or older.
These visitor restrictions will remain in place until further notice. We encourage family members to consider other ways to connect with their loved ones via phone and other devices.