Visitor Policy
Middlesex Health patients are welcome to have visitors, and the information below provides further details.
Please note that the health system may make changes to its visitor policy at any time to ensure the health and safety of all patients, staff and visitors.
All Middlesex Health locations, including the hospital, outpatient centers, and ambulatory settings, allow visitors.
Visitors must not have had a fever, cough, shortness of breath, new muscle pain, new headaches, or loss of taste or smell in the past 10 days.
Per CDC guidelines, visitors who have been in close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 in the past five days must wear a mask.
There may be times when Middlesex Health highly recommends or even requires visitors to wear personal protective equipment (PPE) like masks, gowns, gloves, etc. for the safety of patients, staff, and visitors. This recommendation or requirement may be put forth during times when there is a high community prevalence of contagious illnesses or the patient who is being visited has a contagious illness. Please understand that these requests or requirements ensure everyone’s safety.
Hospital visitors should enter through the lobby during visiting hours (9:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. daily). Visitors arriving after 6:30 p.m. should use the Emergency Department entrance. For Emergency Department visits, enter through the Emergency Department entrance. Visitors can leave and return during visiting hours but should stay in the patient’s room except for bathroom, vending, or cafeteria trips.
The following visitors may access the hospital 24/7 via the Emergency Department entrance if arriving outside of regular hours:
- Emergency Department visitors
- Compassionate care visitors (for patients in hospice or comfort care)
- Designated support persons for patients with disabilities
- Birthing partners in the Pregnancy and Birth Center
- Visitors accompanying pediatric patients
- Clergy (except for patients on special respiratory precautions unless it’s a compassionate visit)
Note: The Emergency Department, Pregnancy and Birth Center, Critical Care Unit, and North 7 have specific visiting policies and rules.
A special set of policies are in place for the Pregnancy & Birth Center.
To see guidelines for support persons, Doulas, and visitors, please click here.
Middlesex Hospital’s Inpatient Behavioral Health has visiting hours from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. daily.
Inpatient Behavioral Health patients may have up to two visitors at a time. A legal adult must accompany visitors under the age of 18.
Surgical patients undergoing a procedure at the hospital or the Outpatient Surgery Center can be accompanied by visitors until they go into surgery.
If a patient is admitted to the hospital after surgery, their visitors will be expected to follow Middlesex Health's visitor policy and visit during established visiting hours.
Visitors may accompany Emergency Department patients 24/7 by entering through the Emergency Department entrance.
Visitors may be asked to wait outside if the waiting room becomes too crowded.
Visitors must obtain approval from clinical staff to be at the bedside for patients under isolation precautions.
Visitors should stay in their patient's room unless the medical team requests them to step out. If asked to leave, they can wait outside the room, in the waiting room, cafeteria, other public spaces, or in their vehicle.
Visitors can accompany patients only between 10:00 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. when they are transferred to an inpatient unit unless they qualify for an exception.
During normal visiting hours, patients in Middlesex Hospital's Critical Care Unit are allowed two visitors at a time. Visitors must be 12 or older.
Hospice patients and patients receiving end-of-life care qualify for compassionate visits. This means they can receive visitors 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Compassionate care is defined as care delivered to patients who qualify for hospice or a comfort-measures-only level of care. Patients may also receive compassionate care at the discretion of a medical provider, nursing manager, or nursing supervisor.
Middlesex Health outpatient facilities and medical offices, which care for non-hospitalized patients, currently have no visitor restrictions.
Resources, Links & Contacts
The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the State of Connecticut are two of the most important sources of information for Connecticut residents.
If you have questions about COVID-19, you can contact the State of Connecticut Department of Public Health for information. Start by visiting their website (ct.gov/coronavirus), which has the latest data on cases in Connecticut, as well as updates about state guidelines.
You can also call or text the state hotline, but please check the state website for information first, as many FAQs are answered there.
- call 2-1-1
- texting "CTCOVID" to 898211