By STHS Communication Department

As part of its phased return to normal business operations, St. Tammany Health System is altering its visitation policy for patients receiving certain procedures during the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak.

Beginning Monday (May 18) patients arriving at STHS for an invasive procedure in the Cardiac Catheterization Lab, Covington Surgery Center, or the Endoscopy, Interventional Radiology or Surgery departments may have one visitor with them if they wish.

The visitor must stay in the appropriate department waiting area for the duration of the patient visit. Both the patient and the visitor must wear their own protective face covering – either homemade or surgical -- when in any STHS facility.

Patients arriving for noninvasive procedures will continue to follow the existing visitation policy, which is to have no visitors unless one essential caregiver is necessary to assist the patient with dementia, decreased mental capacity or significant mobility impairment. In that case, a designated essential visitor must remain for the entire inpatient stay.

The health system also encourages patients and families to use technology and the hospital’s free public Wi-Fi to stay in touch with loved ones in hospital care.

Essential visitors are defined as:

• For laboring mothers: one spouse or partner once active labor has been confirmed by triage.
• In Pediatrics/NICU: one parent or guardian (same visitor, one per day).
• For critically ill patients: one spouse or significant other in hospice, palliative care or at end-of-life.
• For infusion patients: one essential caregiver only.

St. Tammany Health System remains equipped and staffed to address the needs of our community. A variety of new policies and procedures – including the visitation policy outlined above, as well as social distancing, universal mask-wearing and rigorous disinfecting policies – have been implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic to safeguard the health and safety of our patients and colleagues in every STHS facility.