ODESSA, Texas — Midland and Odessa hospitals are still taking serious precautions when it comes to visitors.
However, Medical Center Hospital announced on Oct. 6 that it would be slightly loosening some aspects of the strict visitor policy most hospitals are using.
Previously, only patients under certain circumstances could receive a single visitor. This includes those in pediatric care or maternity care, end of life situations, or disabled and incapacitated patients.
Starting Tuesday, MCH will also begin allowing ICU patients to have one visitor each during select hours. These hours are 1 to 3 p.m. and 8 to 10 p.m. each day.
Anyone visiting during these hours must stay in the patient room at all times and should practice hand hygiene as well as wear a mask.
Additionally, all visitors must sign a waiver to be able to enter the hospital. There are five screener stations at hospital entrances and each one will allow visitors to sign in electronically.
After the waiver is signed, the visitor will receive a wristband. As long as they have a wristband they will not need to resign the waiver.
Additionally, visitors will still need to be screened to enter and must be rescreened once every 24 hours to continue entering.
Entrances to the hospital are still the Wheatley Stewart Starbucks entrance, Wheatley Stewart main entrance, ED entrance, Main Admitting entrance and CWI entrance.
This new section of the visitor policy does not extend to CCU patients, with the exception of end of life situations. In these cases, one patient in full PPE will be allowed in for 15 minutes.
At this time ORMC and Midland Memorial Hospital have not announced any updates for their hospital visitation policies.
For more information on Medical Center Hospital you can visit the website.
