VISITOR POLICY FOR INPATIENT SERVICES

At Apalachee Center, our goal is to keep visitors safe and protect our clients’ safety while providing them with appropriate contact with their family, friends and significant others in a way that does not interfere with their ongoing treatment or unit activities.

 

Visiting hours for all inpatient units

6 pm – 8:30 pm  Monday – Friday

1– 3 pm & 6:30 – 8:30 pm  Saturday, Sundays & holidays

Exceptions may be approved by the nurse manager, director of nursing, inpatient director, attending physician or APRN.

 

Only one (1) visitor may be allowed to visit any one client at a time unless approved by the charge nurse. A time limit of 15 minutes per visitor is allowed. This may be extended in accordance with staff availability and client request.

To ensure that contraband or potentially harmful objects are not brought into the facility, all personal belongings of visitors (e.g. purse, bags, cell phones, food, etc.) must be left in their personal vehicle; if a personal vehicle is not available (e.g., they arrived via public transportation) such items must be placed in an available locker in the visitor’s lobby.

Visitors will be screened by a staff member from the unit, and/or by the receptionist, in the lobby. Packages, clothing and other items brought in by the visitor for the client will be inspected prior to entering the unit, and these articles will be entered into the client’s inventory of personal belongings. Visitors may not give medication or food to clients.

Prior to entering the unit, the visitor will be required to sign-in on the visitor’s log and be issued a visitor badge. The visitation rules will be explained to visitors by Apalachee Center staff. Any infection control or safety/hazard precautions in place will be explained to visitors and instructions will be provided by nursing staff. Visitors will be escorted into the unit and supervised and accompanied at all times.

The nurse manager on duty may limit visits at any time if there is a disruption in the unit, or if the visit is disruptive to the therapeutic milieu.

Physical contact between visitors and the client is allowed to the extent that such behavior would be acceptable in public (e.g., holding hands, hugging). Physical contact that would generally occur in private is not allowed at any time.

Upon completion of the visit, visitors are required to sign out and will be escorted out of the building by a designated staff member.

 

Immediate Access to clients for Legal Counsel/Guardian Advocate/Clergy/Immediate Family:

 

Visits from a court representative, a client’s attorney, guardian, guardian advocate, or another person whose intended communication involves matters which are or may be the subject of legal inquiry will not be limited, as required by the law (s.394 F.S.). Non-emergency visits of all such persons may be limited to a reasonable time if the visit does not seriously impair the effective functioning of the unit or the client. “Legal inquiry” includes any matter concerning civil, criminal or administrative law. Prompt access to clergy, physicians or legal counsel shall be ensured.

Legal counsel and personal clergy visiting clients will be escorted to the visitor’s room to ensure the client’s privacy and right to confidentiality.

At times, immediate family members (parents, children, siblings, spouse) may not be able to visit during normal visiting hours for various reasons. When this is the case, they may be granted access to the client via the use of the visitation rooms or Skype with approval from the physician or APRN.