Providing you with safe, timely care is our top priority.

VUMC ED Patient Visitor Policy

When you’re in the Emergency Department, you can have visitors. How many visitors and the age of your visitors will depend on where you’re being treated.

Waiting Room
If you’re in the waiting room, you can have 1 visitor (18 and older). This visitor cannot switch with another person.

Nurse Triage
If you’re being seen by a triage nurse, you can have 1 visitor (18 and older). This visitor cannot switch with another person.

Private Room
If you’re in a private room, you can have 2 visitors. One of the 2 visitors can be age 12 to 17, if they’re with an adult (18 and older).

Non-Private Room
No visitors are allowed in rooms that have more than 1 patient. Your visitor will need to wait in the ED waiting room and they must be 18 or older.

Hallway
If you’re in the hallway treatment area, you can have 1 visitor (18 and older). The visitor can switch with another person, but 1 visitor should leave before the other one comes into the ED.

COVID
If you have or we think you have COVID, you can only have 1 visitor (18 and older) after you go to a private room. This visitor cannot switch with another person. Your visitor must wear the right PPE (masks, etc.) for their entire visit.

Limited or No Visitors
There may be times when medical and security team members need to limit or take away visitation for the care and safety of everyone in the ED. We’ll let you know if this happens.

Vanderbilt University Hospital is experiencing a shortage of hospital beds to meet the health care needs of the community. We have worked with State of Tennessee to increase the number of beds we have available for patients while we expand our capacity through a new bed tower. To care for all patients in need, we are utilizing semi-private rooms and placing two patients in some of our larger hospital rooms. I assure you we do this only when there is no other alternative. You can depend upon the same high-quality care no matter your accommodations.

If you are placed in a shared room, please understand that your health care team cannot change your location other than for clinical reasons. Our teams are taking this necessary step for the greater good of providing care to all in need. If placed in a shared room, you will be appropriately matched to that patient based upon factors like:
• Gender (Patients of the same gender will share a room.)
• Important clinical issues determined by your health care team
• Presence and type of infectious illness (ex. patients with flu can be paired together.)

Please help our teams, other patients and our community-at-large by graciously accepting your shared occupancy room. If you have any questions, please ask your care team.

I thank you for your understanding and assistance at this time of great need.

LeeAnn Liska
President, Vanderbilt University Hospital

VUMC ED Patient Visitor Policy

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