Cone Health Visiting Hours & Policies
Cone Health is committed to the safety and security of our patients, staff and community. We value the importance of patients having support persons during their stay and have the right to change our visitor guidelines when communicable diseases put everyone at risk. For the safety of our patients and staff, please do not visit if you are sick, have respiratory symptoms, or any communicable disease. If you do not follow our personal protective equipment guidelines, you will be asked to leave.
To ensure safety and security visitors are given a visitor pass upon entry to our hospital campuses. We ask for your patience during the visitor check-in process.
All Locations
- Visiting hours are from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. (unless stated otherwise).
- Starting at 7 a.m. on March 21, 2024, children ages 12 and younger can visit patients in Cone Health hospitals and masks are optional, due to fewer cases of respiratory illnesses requiring hospital-level care.
- Some age restrictions may still apply in select locations as noted in the Campus and Location Specific Visitation Guidelines below.
- Visitors must continue to:
- Self-screen for sickness before entering a Cone Health site.
- Clean hands when going in and out of a patient’s room.
- Put on personal protective equipment if asked to do so.
- Visitors are still asked to:
- Wear a mask if experiencing respiratory symptoms like coughing and sneezing.
- If you have COVID-19, wait to visit family and friends for five days after your symptoms began, and once fever-free and feeling better, wear a well-fitting mask through day 10 of your illness when visiting.
- Exceptions to the visitor policy can be made for patients who have cognitive or behavioral needs, intellectual or developmental disabilities, or those unable to make medical decisions. These patients may always have one support person for safety, decision-making or care concerns.
- Clergy can visit a patient who agrees to the visit and do not count as part of the number of allowed visitors. Clergy must follow all safety guidelines but may be given an exception if it gets in the way of religious beliefs of the patient or visiting clergy member.
- If a patient or family member feels their visitor rights have been violated, they may contact:
- Department leadership on their loved one’s unit.
- Patient Relations at 336-832-7090.
- The Department of Health and Human Services at 1-800-624-3004.
- CMS Region 4 office at roatlora@cms.hhs.gov.
- For patients at the end-of-life (as determined by the attending physician):
- The attending provider will identify patient and family visitation needs in collaboration with the nursing and palliative care team.
- Up to five visitors at a time can be in the patient's room.
- Visitors can switch out.
- Visitation exceptions will be made in collaboration with the care team.
Other Campus and Location Specific Visitation Guidelines
Inpatient & Emergency Department Care
In Adult inpatient rooms:
Non-Intensive Care Units
- Up to four visitors allowed at one time in our hospitals including children. Children under the age of 16 must have an adult with them who is not the patient.
- Visitors may switch out during visiting hours. We encourage visitors to coordinate their visitation times.
- Visitors arriving after a patient has reached four visitors will be asked to return at a different time.
Intensive Care Units
- Only two visitors are allowed at one time in the intensive care patient room. Visitors can switch out.
- No visitors under the age of 12 due to the critical status of patients, safety risk, and risk of infection.
- One adult is permitted to stay overnight.
- No food, drink or flowers are permitted in the patient rooms.
- Visitors to use hospital designated public restrooms and not the restroom in the patient room.
- Exceptions to these restrictions are made for end of life and other special circumstances.
- Exceptions are managed by departmental leadership or designee.
All Inpatient Units
- One visitor age 16 or older may stay with the patient overnight and must be in the room by 8 p.m.
In Emergency Departments - Adult Patients:
- One support person age 16 or older can be with the patient in the lobby (they may switch out during the stay).
- Up to two people can be with the patient in the treatment room (they may switch out during the stay).
- Visitors should not come in if they are feeling sick.
- If the lobby is full and space is needed for patients, support people may be asked to wait in a visitor overflow area.
- A support person can stay with any patient who meets the visitor policy exceptions (i.e., cognitive, or behavioral needs, intellectual or developmental disabilities or those unable to make medical decisions). In this case, the support person can stay with the patient in the lobby even if it is full.
In Children’s Emergency Departments/Emergency Departments - Pediatric Patients:
- Children under the age of 18 may have up to two adult visitors in the lobby and room at a time, and switching is allowed.
In Children’s inpatient rooms and Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU):
- Children under age 18 may have up to four visitors in the room at a time, and switching is allowed.
- Two children up to age 17 are allowed at one time in a patient’s room and are included in the total number of four visitors.
- All children, anyone under the age of 18, must be accompanied by an adult at all times.
- Only two parents/legal guardians may stay overnight.
- Children, any under the age of 18, including siblings, are not allowed to stay overnight.
For patients getting a surgery or procedure
Surgical/Procedural Waiting Areas:
- Patients having surgery or a procedure in a hospital may have two visitors in the waiting area.
- Children under the age of 16 must have an adult with them who is not the patient.
- Visitors may stay in the waiting area during the procedure and may switch out with other visitors. If the patient needs to stay at the hospital during part of their recovery, the visitor guidelines for inpatient rooms apply.
Before Procedure/Surgery:
- The patient may have one adult visitor with them in the pre-procedural/surgical area.
- Clinical staff will let visitors know when they can go back to be with the patient.
- No switching visitors allowed in this area.
Behavioral Health Hospital and the Behavioral Medicine Unit at Alamance Regional
In the Adult Units:
- Visiting hours are from 6:30 p.m. - 7:15 p.m. daily.
- One visitor may spend 45 minutes with a patient each day.
- Visits may change based on patient and/or staff safety.
- Additional visitation guidelines will be provided by the care team.
In the Children and Adolescents Unit:
- Visiting hours are from 5:30 p.m. – 6:45 p.m. daily.
- Two visitors can visit and must be immediate family members only.
- Additional visitation guidelines will be provided by the care team.
Outpatient Facilities (Cancer Centers, Imaging Services, OP Rehabilitation, and Urgent Cares)
For procedures/tests:
- Two visitors ages 16 or older can be with a patient for procedures and/or tests in outpatient surgical centers.
- Children under the age of 16 must have an adult with them who is not the patient.
- Visitors may stay in the waiting area during the procedure and switch out with other visitors. If the patient needs to stay at the hospital during part of their recovery, the visitor guidelines for inpatient rooms apply.
For outpatient imaging services:
- One support person age 16 or older can be with a patient for outpatient imaging services.
For Urgent Care Centers:
- All patients can have one visitor in the waiting area.
- Two visitors can be with the patient in the treatment room.
- If the lobby is full and space is needed for patients, visitors may be asked to wait in the car.
Cone Health Cancer Centers:
- Only one visitor/designated support person is allowed for visits with the provider.
- One visitor/support person is allowed in procedural or infusion suite.
- Cone Health Cancer Centers only allow children ages 16 and older.
