Our top priority is to make sure everyone – patients and staff – is safe when they come to our hospitals.
Entering our hospitals
- Patients will be screened at time of registration using existing screening questions.
- Visitors will be asked to self-screen before they enter our hospitals. Visitors who have tested positive for COVID-19 by PCR or RAT in the past 10 days or have any COVID-19 related symptoms are asked not to visit our hospitals.
Masking at our hospitals
- Masking will continue to be required in all clinical areas where patients are present including: inpatient units, the Emergency Department, the patient facing area of the outpatient laboratory, diagnostic imaging, outpatient clinics, and waiting rooms within clinical areas.
- Mask dispensers and signage will be placed at the entrance of each unit/clinic and all patients over the age of two, visitors, and staff are required to wear a medical mask in those areas.
- Masking will no longer be required upon entry to our hospitals and in common areas that are shared with patients, visitors, and staff (i.e., elevators, lobby, hallways).
- Personal cloth masks are not permitted at our hospitals. Individuals with personal cloth masks will be asked to change their mask to a medical grade mask provided by the hospital.
Visitor vaccination
Vaccination is no longer required for visitors. It is strongly recommended that all visitors and patients are fully vaccinated and boosted against COVID-19. Vaccinations are one of the best forms of protection against serious illness of COVID-19 and vaccination lowers transmission of the disease.
Visitor policy
We know how important visitors are to our patients while they are in hospital. We have worked hard to balance safety considerations with supporting the care needs of our patients and their loved ones through the pandemic. We are updating our visitor policy, to ensure 24/7 family presence however the following guidelines will still be in effect.
- Visitors should not remove their masks when they are in clinical areas including within private or shared patient rooms, except when eating or drinking. This will help protect our vulnerable patients from transmission.
- Should there be an outbreak within the hospital, visitors may be restricted.
Oak Valley Health reserves the right to take appropriate action to enforce compliance with our visitor and masking policies.
Please see below for detailed information about visiting:
Visitor guidelines
- Generally, visiting hours are 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
- Some exceptions may apply at the discretion of the unit or department. Please contact the department directly: Emergency Department, Inpatient Mental Health, Childbirth and Children’s Services and AMU (Labour and Delivery), Intensive Care Unit
Appeals to the visitor policy
If you would like to pursue an exception to the visitor policy, please contact the Patient Relations office via email at patientrelations@oakvalleyhealth.ca, 905-472-7141.