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Home > COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Updates > Hospital & Clinic Visitor Guidelines
Our top priority is the safety and well-being of our patients, staff, and the communities we are privileged to serve. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Essentia Health has made the difficult decision to restrict visitors at our hospitals and clinics. This is being done to reduce the likelihood of COVID-19 transmission to our patients and staff.
The decision to allow visitation is reassessed every day and may change.
Patients known or suspected to have COVID-19 will not be allowed visitors in any setting. Exceptions include pediatric patients, those for whom a support person has been determined to be essential to the care and safety of the patient and patients at end of life. In end of life situations, the visit should be scheduled.
Starting Monday, Nov. 23, our cafeterias will be closed to visitors. Permitted visitors can order cafeteria meals for delivery to the hospital room.
Hospitalized patients are not allowed visitors, with some exceptions for special circumstances. People who are sick or showing symptoms of COVID-19 are not allowed to visit patients. Our care teams will help patients find other ways to connect with loved ones.
*Special considerations for individuals may exist at the discretion of the care team.
Visitors are allowed, in the following circumstances:
We understand visitors are often needed for transportation assistance. Please limit bringing others to appointments as much as possible.
Essentia has implemented universal masking in all of our facilities. Patients, visitors, and staff need to wear a mask at all times inside any of our facilities.
We ask that you please come with your own cloth mask. If you don't have your own, we will provide one.
Learn more important information from the CDC about face coverings.
All visitors need to enter the building through the designated entrance. Screeners will check your temperature and ask you several health-related questions. Please do not visit a patient if you have any symptoms of illness or have been exposed to someone who is ill.
Please bring a mask with you when you visit our facility. You must wear your mask from the time you enter the building until you leave the building, including while you are in the patient’s room.
To protect patients and staff, we're limiting entry to Essentia Health clinics and hospitals on our downtown Duluth campus.
All patients, visitors, and staff will need to use designated entries, answer COVID-19 screening questions, and have their temperatures taken.
Duluth: Since April 9, patients have been using the following designated entries:
Duluth: Beginning July 10, visitors of patients at Essentia Health-St. Mary's Medical Center and Essentia Health-Duluth use the following designated entrance:St. Mary’s Medical Center (Duluth) Red Ramp Skywalk entrance: Park in the Red Ramp on East Fourth Street and take the skywalk entrance to visit patients at both Essentia Health-St. Mary’s Medical Center and Essentia Health-Duluth.
Duluth, MN: Beginning July 10, visitors of patients at Essentia Health-St. Mary's Medical Center and Essentia Health-Duluth use the following designated entrance:
See the designated entries on a map.
You will be asked to go directly to the patient’s room and to stay in the room the entire time that you visit. Visitors to procedural areas may be asked to wait in a designated waiting area. No sleeping in the patient’s room. Do not bring outside food or beverages on-site, and check with the nursing staff before eating or drinking.
Please wash your hands often. This is one of the best ways to avoid getting sick. It also helps to stop the spread of illnesses. Soap and water are best for killing viruses on your hands. If soap and water is not nearby, please use the hand sanitizer located throughout the facility.
It is key to social distance yourself. Limit your contact with others (including your loved one), including the healthcare team while they are caring for your loved one by standing 6 feet away.
These visitor guidelines are reassessed every day and may change. We appreciate your understanding.
To help protect patients and staff during the COVID-19 pandemic, we are asking families and friends to limit personal items or gifts brought to patients who are in the hospital.
We understand that personal items can bring comfort to patients and help them heal. We know flowers and gifts can brighten a day and remind patients that people are thinking of them and wishing them a speedy recovery. We encourage you to send floral arrangements and gifts to patients when they return home.
The safety of patients and staff is our top priority so we must take steps to prevent the spread of infection. That’s why we are strictly limiting visitors at our hospitals during the pandemic. We also must follow a strict protocol for receiving and delivering any necessary personal items to patients.
If you bring a personal item to a patient, please follow these steps:
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