Many hospitals have implemented policies similar to those of Mount Sinai which include:
Safety guidelines:
Before visitor entry or any gathering, the organizer will ensure that a representative is stationed at the entry, with adequate hand sanitizer supplies and directions/signage, to ensure that each individual meets the following criteria:
Symptom check: If anyone has had any of the following symptoms within the preceding 24 hours, they must be refused entry:
feeling feverish
new-onset persistent cough
nasal congestion
Do Not Shake Hands
Hand Hygiene: Even if previously done on entering the building or in prior meeting, Hand hygiene with hand sanitizer prior to entry into the room (if no sanitizer is available, the meeting should not occur.)
Social Distancing: We strongly encourage you to maintain a distance of six feet between yourself and others.
Visitor Policy:
As of March 28, due to the escalating COVID-19 emergency, we are prohibiting all visitors across the Mount Sinai Health System, including visitors to the emergency departments, inpatient units (including postpartum), ambulatory sites and other facilities.
There are limited policy exceptions for HEALTHY visitors, including:
Labor and Delivery: One healthy visitor, no rotation.
Pediatrics and Pediatrics ED: One healthy visitor.
NICU: One healthy adult visitor for the duration of the hospitalization, no rotation.
End of Life situations: One healthy visitor and they may have a limit of one visitor per 24 hour period.
Only healthy visitors are permitted and must follow the strict COVID-19 Safety Guidelines. If a visitor shows any symptoms, staff should politely ask them to leave and provide them with follow-up information.
For unique situations where a manager feels an exception to the above policy should made, they should speak to their supervisor.
Lectures, Events, and Meetings Policy:
Due to the escalating COVID-19 emergency, effective March 19, we are expanding our restrictions on lectures, events and meetings.
All in-person large group lectures, events and meetings across the health care system should be cancelled or offered virtually. This includes, but is not limited to, grand rounds, educational classes, administrative meetings, and clinical meetings. To be clear, the Mount Sinai Health System, including the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, remain open under this policy but we are restricting the size of meetings and also limiting visitors.
As of March 19, we are asking everyone to limit sizes of any remaining administrative meetings to a small group (10 or less).
All in-person meetings of 10 or below, should only be held if they are essential and need face to face communication - and all organizers should aim to convert meetings to a virtual means of communication.
We recommend proactively cancelling – or converting to virtual - all non-essentials meetings through March 31st.
Any meetings that do occur in person must follow the strict COVID-19 Safety Guidelines at the top of this page.
If someone believes a lecture, event or meeting should be a rare exception to this policy (e.g., a blood drive), please submit a request to Vicki LoPachin at vicki.lopachin@mountsinai.org.
Volunteer Policy:
In response to the recent outbreak of COVID-19, the following policy guidelines have been established for external volunteers, students from other institutions and observers within the Mount Sinai Health System (MSHS) effective Thursday, March 19, 2020. Important: All volunteers, students from other institutions and observers permitted to remain onsite at MSHS must comply with the COVID-19 Safety Guidelines.
Pending Applications for Volunteers, Students from other institutions rotating to MSHS, Observers: No pending or new applications will be processed until further notice. Note: The supervisors of students from other institutions with pending applications may request and exception to this policy by emailing a justification to the Department of Volunteer Services (DVS) at VolunteerDept@mountsinai.org.
Volunteers: Individuals who are registered with the Volunteer Department as volunteers and are actively providing services are subject to the following:
In patient care areas: Volunteers who provide services in patient care areas will no longer be permitted to do so.
Volunteers who do not work in patient care areas: Research, administrative and other volunteers assigned to non-patient care areas may continue participating at their supervisor’s discretion, unless otherwise notified by MSHS.
Volunteer assignments: MSHS plans to maintain a list of registered volunteers, particularly those who are no longer providing volunteer services because of the restrictions, so that they can be deployed throughout the institution, if necessary.
Students: MSHS will continue to honor its commitment to students currently participating in an educational experience for academic credit at MSHS. MSHS may adjust this commitment at any time to ensure student safety, operational integrity or any other institutional priority.
Observers: (Domestic and International): All observer programs are discontinued. International Observers should make appropriate arrangements regarding their return home.
Cafeteria and Food Services:
Main cafeterias will be restricted to those with a Mount Sinai ID only. Cafes and smaller on-site food options will remain open to all, staff permitting. We are implementing this to protect our patients and visitors from large gatherings and to protect our staff. At a point of entry, as worked out by each site, patrons will be asked to show ID and to use hand sanitizer before entry.
References:
1.https://www.mountsinai.org/about/covid19/staff-resources/policies