POLK COUNTY, Iowa — The Polk County Medical Coordination Center announced Friday it has placed new visitor restriction policies for all Des Moines metro hospitals starting next Tuesday.
This includes Broadlawns Medical Center, MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center and UnityPoint Health — Des Moines.
This comes as the entire state experiences a major uptick in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths. Polk County officials have repeatedly said current hospitalization levels are trending towards levels the state saw back in October 2020.
Starting next Tuesday, one "support person" per day for a patient will be allowed except for the following circumstances:
- If a patient is COVID-19 positive, one support person per day will be allowed. The support person will be required to wear appropriate PPE to protect the individual from COVID-19 transmission.
- In Maternity Services (Labor & Delivery), one designated birthing coach/doula is allowed in the patient’s labor & delivery room during active labor to support the care of the mother in addition to one support person.
- If a patient is under the age of 18, they may have two designated support persons at a time in the patient’s room to support the care of the patient.
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Designated support person requirements must:
- Always remain in patient room as appropriate
- Be free from illness such as (fever, sore throat, cough, diarrhea, vomiting or runny nose)
- Limit movement within the facility and avoid common areas (cafeterias will not be open to the public)
If the designated support person is a sibling they can be under the age of 18 but must be at least 16.
Visitors and caregivers are able to deliver some personal items to patients, but Polk County advises checking with hospitals before bringing in any items.
A designated support person must not be experiencing any signs of illness and will be screened for symptoms of COVID-19. They should also bring a mask and wear it upon entering the hospital or clinic.
Mask-wearing in all health care facilities in the county is required, including in patient rooms.
Those with a high risk for severe disease, like underlying heart conditions or poorly controlled diabetes, should not visit.
Each health care system has different visiting hours. Here's where you can find information for each: