At This Time, No Visitors Will be Allowed to Enter the Hospital Unless Deemed Necessary
As COVID-19 cases continue to rise locally, McLaren Bay Region has made the decision to update their visitation policy. Effective 7 a.m., Thursday, December 2, 2021, only visitors deemed "necessary" may be permitted at their main campus located at 1900 Columbus Ave., Bay City.
Visitors will be deemed "necessary" and may be allowed if they meet one of the following criteria, and have passed COVID-19 screening:
- A designated family birth partner
- A visitor who is a guardian/power of attorney for a patient
- A visitor who is a family of a patient during imminent death, under direct care of the facility
- A patient requires a sitter, and a family member is qualified to act in that capacity
- Pastoral care visits
- Additional exigent circumstances (to be determined on a case-by-case basis)
For surgical, procedural, and other outpatient areas:
- For visitors who are waiting to drive a patient home after care such as sedation, post-surgical, or cardiovascular procedures, one visitor may be allowed up if they pass the screening. The visitor may be asked to provide a phone number and wait outside for the physician to call after the patient’s procedure. A visitor who fails the screening will be asked to wait in their vehicle until the patient procedure is complete.
- A inpatient who is having surgery may be allowed one visitor on the day of surgery in the pre-op area; however, they will be required to leave after the patient is discharged from the surgical area.
Any patient who has tested positive for COVID-19, or who is on droplet precautions awaiting test results, will not be able to have visitors (even if they meet the requirements for a "necessary" visitor) unless an exception is approved by hospital administration.
“Due to the dramatic increase in COVID-19 cases in our community over the past several weeks, we have made the difficult decision to put in place these visitor restrictions. It is our responsibility to help keep our patients, staff, and community safe, and we believe limiting the number of individuals entering the hospital will help do so," said Norman Chapin, MD, Chief Medical Officer at McLaren Bay Region. "We will assist our patients with virtual visits whenever possible through FaceTime, Zoom, or other appropriate technology to ensure they can stay connected with their loved ones.”
As the visitation policy changes, McLaren Bay Region will continue to keep patients and the community informed through their website, mclaren.org/BayRegion and well as on their social media platforms.
How You Can Help
Getting vaccinated for COVID-19 will help protect yourself as well as people around you, particularly those with increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19 which can be serious and lead to life-threatening complications. Wearing masks and social distancing helps to reduce your chance of being exposed to the virus or potentially spreading it to others, but these measures are simply not enough. Vaccines work with your immune system so it will be ready to fight the virus if you are exposed. Stopping this pandemic will require using all the tools we have available.
For more information regarding the COVID-19 vaccination, or to find a vaccination location near you, visit the State of Michigan's COVID-19 Vaccine website. If you have additional questions, you can contact the COVID-19 Hotline at 888-535-6136 (press 1) 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday and Sunday.