Patient Information

Visitor Information and Visitation Rights

At Jane Todd Crawford Hospital, we recognize the important role that family members, friends, and other support persons can play in a patient’s comfort, recovery, and overall healthcare experience. Our goal is to provide patients with reasonable access to the visitors of their choosing while maintaining a safe, respectful, private, and healing environment for all patients, visitors, and staff.

Visitation is based on the patient’s preferences and may be subject to clinically necessary or reasonable restrictions when needed to protect the health, safety, privacy, or well-being of patients and others.

Your Visitation Rights

Patients receiving care at Jane Todd Crawford Hospital have the right to:

Choose who may visit them, including a spouse, domestic partner, family member, friend, or other person of their choosing.
Deny or withdraw permission for any visitor at any time.
Designate a support person to assist in exercising visitation rights if the patient becomes unable to do so.
Receive visitors without visitation privileges being restricted or denied on a discriminatory basis.
Be informed of any clinically necessary or reasonable restrictions placed on visitation and the reason for those restrictions.

Visitors designated by the patient or, when appropriate, the patient’s support person will be provided equal visitation privileges consistent with the patient’s preferences.

When Visitation May Be Limited

Jane Todd Crawford Hospital may temporarily limit or restrict visitation when there is a clinically necessary, reasonable, safety-related, or legal reason to do so.

Examples may include:

A court order limiting or prohibiting contact.
Behavior that creates a direct threat or safety risk to the patient, staff, visitors, or others.
Disruptive behavior that interferes with patient care or hospital operations.
The need to reasonably limit the number of visitors in a patient care area.
Infection-prevention concerns involving the patient or visitor.
An infectious disease outbreak, public health emergency, or other circumstance requiring additional precautions.
Specific treatment protocols requiring limited visitation.
A patient’s need for rest, privacy, or uninterrupted treatment.
The privacy, rest, or healthcare needs of another patient.
A medical procedure, examination, treatment, or other clinical intervention during which the healthcare team determines that limiting visitation is appropriate for patient care or safety.

When visitation must be restricted, hospital staff will explain the reason for the restriction to the patient or support person when appropriate.

Visitor Conduct and Safety

Visitors are expected to help us maintain a safe and respectful healthcare environment.

Visitors should:

Follow instructions from hospital staff regarding infection prevention and patient safety.
Respect the privacy and confidentiality of all patients.
Keep noise at a reasonable level.
Avoid disruptive, threatening, abusive, or unsafe behavior.
Follow applicable hospital policies while on hospital property.
Leave the patient care area when requested by staff for treatment, procedures, emergencies, privacy, or safety reasons.

Behavior that interferes with patient care, creates a safety concern, or violates hospital policies may result in the visitor being asked to leave the hospital.

Choosing Your Visitors

Patients may tell hospital staff who they would like to visit them and who they do not wish to receive as a visitor. This preference may be communicated verbally and may be documented in the medical record so members of the healthcare team can appropriately honor the patient’s wishes.

For minor patients, the parent, legal guardian, or other legally authorized individual may participate in determining appropriate visitation consistent with applicable law and the patient’s healthcare needs.

Choosing a Support Person

A patient may designate a support person to help exercise the patient’s visitation rights if the patient becomes unable to do so. A support person may be a family member, friend, or another individual chosen by the patient. The individual does not have to have a particular legal or family relationship with the patient.

Designation as a support person for visitation purposes does not automatically give that individual authority to make medical decisions for the patient. Medical decision-making authority is determined separately under applicable law, advance directives, guardianship arrangements, or other legally recognized authority.

If the patient becomes unable to communicate, the designated support person may communicate the patient’s visitation preferences on the patient’s behalf.

Visitation When a Patient Cannot Communicate

If a patient is unable to communicate their visitation preferences and has not previously identified a support person, Jane Todd Crawford Hospital will make reasonable efforts to determine the individual who may appropriately exercise the patient’s visitation rights.

Information that may assist in making this determination can include:

An advance directive or other written document identifying a healthcare representative, support person, or designated individual.
A spouse or other family relationship.
Adult children or other close relatives.
Evidence of a shared residence.
Shared ownership of property or a business.
Financial interdependence.
A legally recognized relationship.
Documentation or other reliable evidence of a committed personal relationship.
Written documentation identifying an individual previously chosen by the patient.

The hospital will consider the available information along with the patient’s known wishes, best interests, and applicable law.

Infection Prevention

Protecting our patients from infectious illness is an important part of safe healthcare.

Depending on current infection-prevention needs, visitors may be asked to:

Perform appropriate hand hygiene.
Wear personal protective equipment, including a mask when clinically indicated.
Follow isolation or infection-control precautions.
Answer questions regarding symptoms or possible exposure to infectious illness.
Follow additional precautions during an infectious disease outbreak or public health emergency.

Visitors who are ill or experiencing symptoms of a contagious illness may be asked to postpone their visit or follow additional precautions to protect patients.

Complaints About Visitation

Patients and their representatives have the right to raise concerns regarding visitation without fear of retaliation or interference with care.

If you believe your visitation rights have not been appropriately honored, please speak with a member of your healthcare team or contact Jane Todd Crawford Hospital through the hospital’s grievance process.

Jane Todd Crawford Hospital
290 Industrial Park Road
Greensburg, KY 42743
Phone: 270-932-4211

Swing Bed Visitation

Patients receiving care through the Jane Todd Crawford Hospital Swing Bed Program have additional visitation protections.

Physical separation from family, friends, and other important support persons can affect a patient’s emotional and physical well-being. We encourage appropriate visitation while also maintaining the safety, privacy, comfort, and healthcare needs of all Swing Bed patients.

Swing Bed Visitation Rights

Swing Bed patients have the right to receive visitors of their choosing at times of their choosing, subject to the patient’s right to deny or withdraw consent and to reasonable clinical, safety, privacy, and operational considerations.

General hospital visiting hours are 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Swing Bed patients may receive visitors outside of these hours when appropriate. Consideration must be given to the patient’s healthcare needs as well as the privacy, comfort, rest, and rights of other patients.

Swing Bed patients have the right to:

Receive visits from immediate family members and other relatives, subject to the patient’s right to deny or withdraw consent at any time.
Receive other visitors of their choosing, subject to reasonable clinical and safety restrictions.
Deny or end a visit at any time.
Have visitation arrangements that respect their preferences while also protecting the rights and safety of other patients.

Number of Visitors

To promote patient comfort, safety, and an appropriate healing environment, patients are generally encouraged to have no more than two visitors at one time.

Exceptions may be considered for end-of-life care or other special circumstances on a case-by-case basis at the discretion of the Medical Director.

Overnight Visitors

One family member may be permitted to stay overnight in the patient’s room when appropriate.

For patient safety, visitors may not sleep in the patient’s hospital bed.

Overnight stays should be limited when possible. Exceptions may be considered based on the patient’s circumstances and at the discretion of the Medical Director.

During Your Visit

To help provide a comfortable and safe environment:

Please keep conversations, televisions, and electronic devices at a reasonable volume.
Respect the privacy and rest of other patients.
Follow all instructions provided by the patient’s healthcare team.
Visitors may be asked to leave the room temporarily during treatment, personal care, procedures, or other clinical activities.
Food, beverages, medications, supplements, or other healthcare products should not be given to a patient without approval from the healthcare team. This is important because certain foods, fluids, or medications may interfere with the patient’s treatment plan, dietary restrictions, swallowing precautions, or prescribed medications.

Infection Prevention for Swing Bed Patients

Because Swing Bed patients may be recovering from illness, surgery, or other medical conditions, infection prevention is especially important.

Visitors may be required to follow additional precautions, including:

Performing hand hygiene before and after visiting.
Wearing a mask or other personal protective equipment when clinically indicated.
Following isolation precautions.
Answering questions regarding illness, symptoms, or possible infectious exposure.
Following additional infection-control measures during an outbreak or other public health concern.

Visitation may be temporarily limited when necessary to protect the health and safety of patients, visitors, and staff.

The Medical Director may authorize additional restrictions or exceptions when, based on clinical judgment, they are necessary to protect patients or hospital staff.

Our Commitment to Patients and Families

Jane Todd Crawford Hospital is committed to supporting meaningful visitation while providing a safe, respectful, private, and patient-centered healthcare environment.

We encourage patients and families to communicate with the healthcare team if they have questions about visitation, special circumstances, or accommodations that may be needed during a hospital stay.

Menu