ST. PETERSBURG, Florida – (June 24, 2020) – Largo Medical Center, Northside Hospital, Palms of Pasadena Hospital and St. Petersburg General Hospital are implementing a new visitor policy on Thursday, June 25, 2020, as a result of the increase in the community spread of COVID-19 in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties. No visitors will be permitted for admitted patients to help ensure the safety of our patients and caregivers, and one visitor may accompany patients who are arriving for outpatient surgery and for emergency needs. The policy is as follows:
Temporary Visitor Policy (June 25, 2020)
In order to protect our patients, visitors, physicians, and caregivers from the spread of the coronavirus (COVID)
- Inpatient Units – No visitors are permitted.
Exceptions must be approved by the hospital Administrator on Call (AOC) or administration and can be made for:
- end-of-life situations
- labor and delivery
- one visitor is allowed
- post-partum unit, neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), and pediatrics unit
- two visitors are allowed and may stay overnight
- behavioral health units
- a patient’s attorney of record, a state of federal representative on official duty, and end-of-life situation visitors are allowed
- Emergency Room – One visitor is allowed per patient in the ER.
Once a patient is admitted to the hospital, the visitor must leave as visitors are not allowed in inpatient areas.
- Outpatient Procedures – One visitor is allowed per patient who is having an outpatient surgery or other outpatient procedure requiring sedation.
Visitor must remain in the designated waiting area. If the patient is admitted as an inpatient, the visitor must leave as visitors are not allowed in inpatient areas.
- Anyone under the age of 18 will not be considered for visitation unless they are the parent of a hospitalized child.
All persons authorized to enter the hospital must wear a mask at all times, including in a patient’s room and practice hand sanitization upon entering the hospital and upon entering and exiting a patient’s room. They will have their temperature taken, be screened for illness, and asked the following questions:
- Have you had a fever and signs/symptoms of respiratory illness (cough, flu-like symptoms, or shortness of breath)?
- Have you traveled outside the country within the last 14 days (including a cruise)?
- Have you traveled by plane or train in the past 14 days?
- Have you been in close contact with someone who has COVID-19 without wearing the proper protective equipment?
- Are you currently being tested for COVID-19?
If you answer positive (yes) to any of the above – we will not allow entrance to the facility unless seeking emergency medical assistance.
Patients may consider using phone, Skype, or FaceTime to communicate with family and friends during this time.
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About Largo Medical Center
Largo Medical Center is a 455-bed statutory teaching hospital serving Pinellas County from three campuses each with an ER 24/7®. The hospital offers a number of specialty services including Breast Institute, Cardiovascular Services with Advanced Heart Failure Care (Left Ventricular Assist Device, Heart Transplant), Kidney and Liver Transplant, Hepatobiliary Care (kidney, liver, and gall bladder), Orthopedic/Total Joint Care, Spine, and Neurological Care, Robotic Surgery, and Wound Care Services with Hyperbaric Medicine. Largo Medical Center’s Graduate Medical Education Department offers 100 residency and fellowship programs which are accredited through ACGME. The hospital is the West Coast Academic Center for NOVA Southeastern University and is affiliated with the USF Morsani College of Medicine.
About Northside Hospital
Serving the community since 1976, Northside Hospital is a 288-bed hospital, offering a full range of services including comprehensive and interventional stroke care, preventative and corrective cardiac care, full-service orthopedic and spine treatment an ER 24/7®, and general surgery. As one of the first hospitals in the area to achieve Atrial Fibrillation Certification (SCPC), our technologically advanced hospital allows our highly skilled physicians, nursing, and caregivers to serve our growing community. Northside Hospital is the first nationally recognized Comprehensive Stroke Center in Pinellas County and nationally recognized for quality and safety by earning an ‘A’ Patient Safety grade from the Leapfrog Group. Our employees voted us a Tampa Bay Times Top Workplace in 2020. With campus-based specialized services including the Tampa Bay Heart Institute and the Neuroscience Institute for Interventional Neuroradiology and neurologic care, Northside Hospital continues to enhance and expand its services to better serve the community.
About Palms of Pasadena Hospital
Located in a Pinellas County beach community, Palms of Pasadena Hospital has been serving residents and visitors for more than 50 years. The 307-bed facility is Joint Commission accredited and committed to providing high quality medical care in a friendly hospital environment. The hospital offers a full range of services including ER 24/7®, robotic and minimally invasive surgery, orthopedics, rehabilitation center, and wound care. The hospital’s surgical weight loss program through the Florida Bariatric Centers includes both adolescent and adult programs.
About St. Petersburg General Hospital
St. Petersburg General Hospital is a Joint Commission accredited, full-service 215-bed acute care facility, providing comprehensive emergency care including the area’s first seniors emergency service designed to meet the needs of the elderly, diagnostic, medical, surgical and women’s services, including obstetrics. The hospital is a seven-time recipient of the Top Workplace honor by the Tampa Bay Times and named an LBGTQ Leader since 2013, by the Healthcare Equality Index (HEI). St Petersburg General Hospital is accredited as a Breast Center with Digital Imaging and Computer Aided Detection, accredited Lung Cancer Screening Center, Advanced Primary Stroke Center, Accredited Community Cancer Center (CoC), Center of Excellence in Robotic Surgery, and a GYN Robotic Surgery Epicenter.