Quinte Health Care hospitals further restrict visiting

Quinte Health Care has determined its four hospitals will move from Phase 2 (yellow) to Phase 3 (red) of its care partner and visiting during COVID-19 policy”, effective Saturday, Jan. 16.

With this change, QHC is prohibiting visitors (except if a patient is imminently dying) and is further limiting care partners. A visitor is defined as someone who provides social support. A care partner is defined as a loved one and advocate who provides ongoing and essential social, emotional and physical support to a patient. A care partner is identified by the patient and provided identification by QHC.

Some of the more significant changes include:
· Long stay patients are allowed one consistent care partner (instead of 1 care partner at a time)
· Low acuity, short-stay patients are no longer allowed a care partner (instead of one consistent care partner)
· Patients imminently dying or critically unstable (ED/ICU) are allowed one care partner or visitor at a time (instead of 2)
· Palliative patients (death not imminent) are allowed one consistent care partner (instead of one care partner at a time)
· Stable ICU patients are no longer allowed a care partner (instead of one consistent care partner)

For more information about these changes, please visit QHC’s website -https://www.qhc.on.ca/visiting-hours-p12.php

Effective Saturday, QHC will also be closing the Belleville General Hospital Emergency Entrance to anyone other than patients seeking emergency care.

Non-Emergency patients are asked to enter through the WCA entrance, which is open Monday-Friday 6 a.m. – 4 p.m., or the Sills entrance, which is open 24/7.

Care partners accompanying an emergency department patient can enter through the emergency entrance (if the patient meets the criteria to have a care partner – please refer to QHC’s Care Partner and Visiting Policy at www.qhc.on.ca). All other permitted care partners and visitors are asked to enter through the Sills entrance.