Guidelines for Visitors

At Southwest General, we understand that patients benefit from having family and friends visit them while they are in the hospital. Because the health and safety of our patients, caregivers and visitors remains our top priority, please review the following Visitor Guidelines before coming to see a patient on our Main Campus.

Visiting Hours

To minimize disruption to patient care, preferred visiting hours are 11 a.m. - 8 p.m. on most inpatient units. The following units have restricted visiting hours as follows:

• Cosgrove Maternity Center 11 a.m. - 8 p.m.
• Critical Care Units 11 a.m. - 8 p.m.
• Geriatric Behavioral Health Unit 11 a.m. - noon and 6 p.m. - 8 p.m.
• Oakview Behavioral Health Center ????

For additional information, call Patient Information at 440-816-8946.

Visitor Restrictions

Do not visit or accompany a patient if you are sick, have a fever, have tested positive for COVID-19 within the past 20 days, or have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 within the past 14 days. Additional visitor restrictions include:

Cosgrove Maternity Center

During the cold and flu season, we see an increase in respiratory viruses such as COVID-19, flu and RSV. These viruses are very harmful to our fragile newborn patients.

To protect our fragile infants from exposure to illness, the following precautions will be in effect starting Dec. 1, 2023:

• Special Care Nursery
  No siblings or other visitors unless they are over the age of 18
• Postpartum Unit
  For normal newborns, no visitors under the age of 18 unless they are a
  sibling of the newborn

We understand that these restrictions may be difficult for your family, but they are out of concern for the health of your newborn. We do encourage virtual visits such as FaceTime on your personal device. Additionally, our staff can help set up a Zoom visit on a Cosgrove Maternity Center IPad at a time that is convenient for your family.

Other Inpatient Units

• Visitors must be aged 12 or older
• Visitors to COVID-19 positive patients must be aged 18 or older

Masking

Patients, visitors and staff at Southwest General are no longer required to wear masks in patient care areas throughout the organization. Wearing a mask is optional at this time with the following exceptions:

Masks will still be required for infection prevention in the following situations:

• Patients with respiratory symptoms while in waiting rooms
• Anyone entering the room of a patient on isolation precautions for which a mask is required.
  Additionally, visitors to patients who are COVID-19 positive must follow all additional safety guidelines specified by the patient care unit.
• Staff members who are returning to work after a respiratory illness. Employee Occupational Health Services will provide guidance on individual situations as needed.

All patients, visitors and staff are asked to follow the above guidelines and to be respectful of others who choose to wear a mask while in our facilities.

If you are arriving on our Main Campus between the hours of 8 p.m. and 5 a.m., please enter through the Emergency Department entrance, and check in with the Police officer, who will provide you with a visitor ID badge to wear while in the Health Center.

*For details about visitor restrictions due to COVID-19 visit our Visitor Restrictions Web Page.

No Smoking Policy

Southwest General is committed to providing a safe and healthy environment for all patients, visitors, employees, Medical Staff and contractors. Therefore, smoking or the use of tobacco products is prohibited on any property owned, operated or leased by Southwest General or its subsidiaries and on property adjacent to its facilities.

Patient Information

To obtain updated condition reports on patients, call the Nursing Station of the patient’s unit directly. Please designate one family member to act as the “spokesperson” to obtain updated condition reports. The designated spokesperson can then relay the information to other family members and serve as the contact person should we need to do so in a case of an emergency. Please avoid calling during shift change times: 7 - 8 a.m., 3 - 4 p.m., 7 - 7:30 p.m. and 11 p.m. - midnight. Patients have the right to sign a release form requesting that no information about them or their condition be released to anyone.

Services for the Disabled

If you have a hearing disability, Southwest General provides a variety of services to assist you or your family members:

• TTY-TDD telephone service and sign language interpreters are available upon request. If you or a family member require this service, contact your nurse.

Language Interpreters

For those who do not speak English and require help to communicate with Southwest General employees or physicians on the Medical Staff, foreign language interpreters can be provided for many languages. Any staff member is assist in obtaining an interpreter. Patients scheduling their stay at the Health Center can make arrangements for this service ahead of time.

Mail for Patients

To ensure that mail is efficiently delivered to patients, family members and friends must use the patient’s full name. The correct mailing address for Southwest General is:

Patient’s Full Name
Patient’s Room Number
Southwest General Health Center
18697 Bagley Road
Middleburg Heights, OH 44130-3497

Should mail arrive after patients are discharged, the Health Center will attempt to send it on to patients’ homes.

Telephone Usage

In all non-critical care patient areas, a telephone with its own direct line is provided at each bedside. This service is provided free of charge for local calls. To make a call, dial “9” to obtain an outside line, followed by the local number. No incoming calls will be accepted before 7 a.m. or after 9 p.m., but outgoing calls can be made at any time. Patients and family members, however, are requested to respect the privacy of patients’ roommates. Long distance calls can be made by dialing “2200,” which will connect the caller to a long distance operator. A telephone credit card must be used for charges or the call must be billed to the patient’s or family member’s home telephone.

Cellular Phone Usage

Cellular phone use is permitted only in areas where it does not interfere with medical equipment. Check with health care professionals or other staff members before using any type of cell phone within any building.

Lost and Found

There are two Lost and Found areas within the Health Center. The area for valuables such as jewelry, cell phones and wallets is located within Police Department. It is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you or a family member need to locate a missing article, call 440-816-8884. For items such as clothing, books and other less valuable goods, contact Environmental Services at 440-816-8660, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.