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
Updated masking guidelines
As we approach respiratory season and see a rise in COVID-19 cases in the community, we are implementing updated masking guidelines to help protect our patients, visitors, and staff.
Effective October 22, 2024:
- Individuals (visitors, staff, and volunteers) entering a patient room on an inpatient unit are required to wear a medical-grade mask.
- Outpatients who are symptomatic and their accompanying visitors are required to wear a mask at all times.
- Masks will not be required in common areas such as lobbies, elevators, hallways, or nursing stations though we remain a mask-friendly environment. If you prefer to wear a mask, we will have medical-grade masks available for your convenience.
- Masks are required by all staff, patients, and visitors in the Cancer Centre.
- Masking in the Emergency Department will be designated by zone.
- Mask dispensers and signage will be located at the entrance of each inpatient unit. Medical-grade masks will be provided for those who need to replace their personal masks when entering patient rooms.
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, 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 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.