December 12, 2020

Dear patients and families,

Thank you for choosing UCLA Health for your health care needs. We are committed to protecting the safety of patients, staff, faculty, students, trainees and the general public while maintaining high-quality care at our hospitals in Westwood and Santa Monica and our clinics across the region.

Due to the steady rise in community spread of COVID-19, we find it necessary to restrict visitation at UCLA Health Ronald Reagan and Santa Monica Medical Centers, UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital and Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital. New visitation guidelines will go into effect December 12, 2020.

Visitors will no longer be permitted except for the following:

• Up to two healthy visitors of a patient who, in the judgment of the provider team, is imminently dying.
• One support person who must be trained on how to care for a patient after discharge or who is necessary to help a patient return home (i.e. drivers).
• One healthy visitor may accompany a patient reporting for surgery. The visitor will be directed to the surgical waiting room for further instructions.
• One healthy parent or designee may stay with pediatric patients for the duration of the admission. 
• One healthy support person may attend the labor and delivery and remain for the duration of the patient’s stay.
• Children under the age of 18, with the exception of pediatric patients, will not be permitted in the emergency department.
• One adult visitor will be allowed into the waiting room for adult emergency department patients who are frail, elderly, dependent or are unable to provide a medical history.
• Clinic visitor guidelines will remain unchanged.

The unit or department director or administrative nursing supervisor in partnership with the medical attending physician will evaluate unique situations that may arise.

In the event a patient may be permitted to receive a visitor, all visitors must:

• Visitors presenting with visible signs or screened for fever and cough will be turned away.
• All visitors allowed access to the hospital must wear a designated name tag that must remain visible at all times.
• Visitors must remain masked and stay with their loved one at all times.
• Visitation must be for a short amount of time, as appropriate, and based on urgent health, legal or other issues that cannot wait until later.
• Access points to the hospital will be restricted to the main entrances of the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center and UCLA Medical Center, Santa Monica.

We recommend using the tablet or the phone in your room to connect with and update your loved ones who cannot visit during your stay. If you have questions or need additional information, please call our Office of Patient Experience at (310) 267-9113.

We appreciate your understanding and cooperation.

For additional information, please visit uclahealth.org/coronavirus.

Sincerely,

Johnese Spisso, MPA
President, UCLA Health
CEO, UCLA Hospital System
Associate Vice Chancellor, UCLA Health Sciences

Robert Cherry, MD
MS Chief Medical and Quality Officer
UCLA Health

Richard Azar
Chief Operating Officer
UCLA Health

Karen A. Grimley, PhD, MBA, RN
Chief Nursing Executive
UCLA Health