Are Cancer Centers Easing Covid Restrictions?
- While the Covid-19 vaccination rate in the U.S. continues to climb quickly, major cancer centers still have certain safety restrictions in place.
- While some centers are allowing all patients visitors, others are only allowing patient visits in certain, absolutely necessary situations.
- All the cancer centers SurvivorNet surveyed still had limits on how many visitors a patient can have per day.
Now, with more than 26% of Americans having received at least one Covid vaccine shot, and more than 14% fully vaccinated, some major cancer centers are making adjustments to those safety protocols. SurvivorNet checked in with several major cancer centers across the U.S. this week to get an update on Covid restrictions and it turns out, many precautions are still in place. One positive takeaway, though, was that these situations are fluid and do seem to be improving with time.
Read MoreCedars-Sinai
The Los Angeles cancer center has a constantly updating policy based on the Covid situation in the area, they told SurvivorNet, noting “our policy is fluid, depending on what is happening with the virus, and on Los Angeles County Dept. of Public Health recommendations.” Generally, for people considering or receiving cancer treatment, there are still restrictions on who can accompany you to the hospital.In infusion areas, visitor accommodation is based on the ability to maintain physical distancing throughout the process. For doctor appointments and at urgent care centers, another person can accompany patients under 18 or those who have physical, developmental or cognitive impairments. Patients dealing with a new diagnosis or medical condition may also be accompanied by another person.
Dr. Heather Yeo, a colorectal cancer surgeon, explains why it’s important to have someone with you — if possible — while making cancer treatment decisions.
The center has a roundup of the latest Covid policies for both inpatient and outpatient services here.
Cleveland Clinic
The Cleveland Clinic campuses in both Ohio and Florida remain at a “level red” visitation risk level. An explanation of what the red-level risk entails can be found on their website.
The centers did recently update their visitation hours. Effective last week, visitation hours for adult inpatients at all locations changed from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week. Visitation policies for child patients have remained unchanged.
The center did note that they evaluate the Covid situation weekly, and hope to ease restrictions further soon.
Johns Hopkins
Johns Hopkins, headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland, has also issued a “red level” visitor risk at its various hospitals. This means that in many cases, visitation is limited to one “care partner” and in others, patients can not be accompanied by anyone at all when they come in for treatment.
A care partner can be a spouse, partner, friend, parent — anyone a patient wants to have with them as they seek treatment.
One care partner is allowed per patient who have approved exceptions such as, patients with disabilities who need assistance, patients in the intensive care (ICU) or intermediate care units (IMC), patients who have been hospitalized for three days or more and patients undergoing emergency surgery related to a traumatic event.
Care partners may also be present if a patient’s care team invites them for a patient needing rehabilitation or when “in-person bedside education is required.”
MD Anderson Cancer Center
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center is also still heavily restricting visitor access on all of their campuses and asks that all patients come to appointments alone, with a few exceptions.
“There will be special instances when a patient needs one adult caregiver to assist them. This caregiver must be physically able to assist the patient, be able to care for themselves and wait on their own, either outside the facility or in a waiting area, and pass screening questions.”
The center has a list of exceptions for both inpatient and outpatient situations on their website.
Mount Sinai
Mount Sinai in New York is allowing visitation, but is requiring that visitors follow certain safety protocols, and the hours visitation is permitted vary from campus to campus.
Any visitor who has tested positive for Covid-19 will not be allowed in the hospital, and those who have had contact with someone who has been diagnosed with the virus within the past 14 days will also not be allowed.
Anyone who has traveled outside of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, or Vermont within the past two weeks will be asked to either provide a negative Covid test upon entry or have self-quarantined for two weeks. Visitors will be screened for symptoms and must follow strict safety protocols while in the hospitals.
Visitors are not permitted during procedures or during recovery periods, and only one visitor can come in at a time. The hospitals limit patients to two visitors per day.
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