Patients & Visitors

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Thank you for the overwhelming support from our community during these past several weeks. We are so thankful to be a part of this community. As we resume outpatient elective procedures, surgeries and diagnostic studies, we have taken steps in alignment with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to create a safe care environment for our patients, including infection prevention, restricted access to our facility, social distancing and patient flow.

• Entry points are limited to ensure we can screen everyone who comes into the facility, including temperature checks. This includes our employees and physicians as well.
• For everyone’s safety, masks are worn by everyone in the hospital, including our patients, employees and physicians.
• Cleaning and disinfection has intensified, especially frequently touched surfaces and spaces.
• We have designated Non-COVID-19 Care Zones and our COVID-19 Care Zones are clearly marked, as well as a special entrance for those who may be suspected of COVID-19.
• Our front entrance is a Non-COVID-19 entrance.
• Some visitor restrictions remain in place.
• We practice infection prevention every day, including wearing personal protective equipment, washing hands before and after caring for each patient and cleaning equipment between every patient.

Scheduled Appointments

At this time, we are asking that patients have a scheduled appointment for any tests that have been ordered for them by their provider. If a patient has an order for a service at our hospital, and the provider or office staff did not make them an appointment, the patient can call our centralized scheduling department at (601) 443-2230 to schedule their service.

Outpatient Surgery Visitation Guidelines Effective May 11, 2020

• You may have ONE visitor with you when you come for your scheduled outpatient surgery.
• The visitor will be screened and have their temperature checked. If they are unable to pass the screening, they will not be allowed inside the hospital.
• Please ask your visitor to bring their own mask, as they will be required to wear it inside and keep it on at all times.Your visitor will be asked to stay in your assigned room the entire length of your stay.
• Please ask your visitor to bring any snacks or water they may need, as the cafeteria is not open at this time. Again, we ask that your visitor remain in your room.
• Should your visitor need to exit the hospital prior to your discharge, they will NOT be allowed to come back into the hospital.

Your safety and that of our staff is our top priority.

Emergency Department Visitor Guidelines Effective May 18, 2020

• Emergency department (ED) patients may have ONE visitor accompany them into the ED.
• The visitor must pass the screening and temperature check; otherwise, they will not be allowed to enter.
• The visitor must have their own mask in order to enter and wear the mask the entire time they are in the ED.
• The visitor must remain in the patient’s room at all times.
• Should the visitor need to leave before the patient has been discharged, they are not allowed back into the ED.
• There will be only ONE visitor throughout the stay. The visitor will not be allowed to leave the room in order to let another visitor come into the patient’s room.
• Should the patient be admitted, the inpatient visitation restrictions remain in place.
• As always, patients in Fast Track are not allowed any visitors.

Thank you! We appreciate your understanding and compliance

Below are the designated, zoned entrances for your safety.

Non-COVID-19 Care Zone

Front Door Entrance — Patients who are scheduled for services at our hospital and have no known symptoms of the virus will enter through the front entrance.

COVID-19 Caution Care Zone

Outside Entrance by MRI — Our Caution Zone, where you will see a tent is located, will be used for scheduled patients who have an order by their provider for a COVID-19 test, as well as the entrance for scheduled patients who are having outpatient testing and either have been tested for COVID-19 and do not have their results back, or they are exhibiting symptoms of the virus.

Restricted Care Zone

Park in ED parking lot at top of ramp — Should we have any positive COVID-19 patients whose provider has ordered outpatient testing, we have a Restricted Zone located at a side entrance.

Within the hospital, you will see signage for these designated zones:

Non-COVID-19 Care Zones

Front Lobby
Patient Access Area
Imaging Waiting Area
Outpatient Surgery Testing Waiting Area
Emergency Department Waiting Area
4th Floor
2North
3rd Floor - Labor, delivery, nursery and 3South
5th Floor

Restricted Care Zones

3North
ICU
Stepdown

Visitor Guidelines Effective June 8, 2020

The following guidelines for hospital visitation are now in effect, but subject to future change. These new visitation guidelines are for patients in the following units: 2North (outpatient surgery), 4th floor (medical/surgical), and 5th floor (inpatient rehabilitation unit)

• Visitation Hours will be in effect and strictly enforced between the hours of 6 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., Monday – Friday.
• Visitors must be 16 years of age or older.
• Patients are limited to one visitor per day, and the visitor must remain in the patient’s room at all times.

As always, visitors must pass our screening process including a temperature check and questions regarding symptoms and risk factors before being allowed to enter. They must also bring their own mask and wear it at all times while in the hospital.

The following guidelines have not changed and are still in effect for OB, ED and COVID-19 patients:

• Emergency department patients may have one visitor accompany them into the ED, and the visitor must remain in the patient’s room at all times.
• OB patients may have one visitor throughout their stay in labor and delivery.
• Pediatric patients may have two visitors, and both must be parents, guardians or a caregiver.
• Exceptions will continue to include end-of-life and patients needing assistance with communication/behavioral care.
• Visitation will remain closed for our COVID-19 patients and patients suspected of COVID-19. If you would like to drop off a card, gift or message of encouragement, we are happy to deliver those to patients. You may also call a patient’s room or visit patients using Facetime or another video communication app.

The front entrance of the hospital will remain open Monday – Friday and closed on Saturday and Sunday.

How to connect with your patient by telephone in patient’s room:
If you know the room number of the patient you are calling, please dial 601-443-2 + the room number. For example, if the room number is 314, dial 601-443-2314.

How to connect with your patient by telephone in patient’s Telemetry room:
Our telemetry rooms are Rooms 1 – 11. To call the patient’s room in Telemetry, dial 601-443-28 +the telemetry bed number. For example, if your bed number is a single digit, Telemetry 2, you would dial 601-443-2802. If your bed number is Telemetry 10, you would dial 601-443-2810.

As you can imagine, with our limitations with patient visiting in effect, family and friends are calling the hospital and asking to speak with someone at the nurses’ station to check on their loved one. We truly understand the need and desire to do this.

Our staff wants to give you the most up to date information on your loved one. Please help us by adhering to the following:

• A code, along with the patient’s name, is required in order for a staff member to be able to give you any information over the phone.
• If you do not have a code, please do not call the unit inquiring about your patient. No information will be given.
• It would help us tremendously if only one family member would call each morning and each afternoon to check on their loved one. This family member could then in turn contact others to give this update. This would help our staff focus on your loved one as well as the other patients being treated in our hospital.

If you do have a code and need to call, please use the following numbers to call in our units:

• 3North - dial (601) 443-2365
• 4North - dial (601) 443-2480
• 4South - dial (601) 443-2470
• 5th Floor – Rehab – dial (601) 443-2544
• Intensive Care Unit (ICU) – dial (601) 443-2791
• Telemetry – dial (601) 443-2645
• Labor and Delivery, 3rd Floor – (601) 443-2384
• Post-Partum, 3rd Floor – dial (601) 443-2381

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At Merit Health Natchez, we understand that coming to the hospital as a patient or as a loved one's support person can be a difficult, often overwhelming experience. Whether you’re preparing for a hospital stay or stopping by to see friends and family, knowing where to go and what to bring will help make your visit less stressful. To make your experience easier, we want to provide you with helpful information you may need to plan your visit, such as what to expect, parking instructions, transportation and more.