COLUMBUS, Ohio — Central Ohio’s three major adult hospitals will begin allowing most patients to see visitors beginning Tuesday, June 16, though restrictions will remain in place to slow the spread of COVID-19, health officials said.

At Ohio State Wexner Medical Center, at OhioHealth, and at Mount Carmel Health, many patients will be able to receive one visitor per day when the restrictions, which have been in place since March, are lifted.

Ohio did not issue any rules that prohibited visitation; rather, hospitals were given discretion to set their own visitation polices.

These three hospitals felt that a major step such as this to lift restrictions ought to be done in coordination, said Dr. Iahn Gonsenhauser, Ohio State’s chief quality and patient safety officer.

“There is recognition from the three major adult hospitals in central Ohio that patient visitation is a critical part of healing and wellness. Restricting visitation has to be one of the difficult decisions that any of our health systems have had to make,” Gonsenhauser said. “It goes against all of our instincts as clinicians.”

He said the restrictions, though necessary to reduce risks of exposure and spread of COVID-19, have been extremely hard for patients, families, and hospital staff.

“You can imagine how difficult it is to be told you can’t see somebody who you love who is hospitalized. You can imagine how difficult it would be to be told as a hospitalized patient that you can’t see somebody who provides you comfort, and you can also imagine how challenging it is for a nurse or a physician to be the one who has to tell somebody that and to enforce that restriction,” he said.  

Some patients cannot advocate for themselves, and others may not know how to advocate for themselves, Gonsenhauser said, stressing that patients benefit from having their close family, loved ones, or guardians with them.

Mount Carmel's chief clinical officer Dr. Nicholas Kreatsoulas said the health system had to carefully balance the benefit of allowing visitors with risks related to COVID-19.

"We know visitors contribute to the overall health and wellbeing of our patients, including the patient's experience, safety and healing," he said. "Since our visitor restriction policy was first introduced, we've worked to balance these important elements with the need to protect patients and colleagues from unnecessary exposure to COVID-19."

There was no formal task force, and each hospital’s policy is different.

Mount Carmel and Ohio State will require that most visitors be 18 or older. While most patients will be allowed just one visitor, in some circumstances, patients under the age of 18 will be permitted multiple parent visitors.

OhioHealth said it will permit visitors in emergency departments; Mount Carmel said it will not permit visitors in emergency departments, as did Ohio State, however Wexner said there will be limited exceptions. The hospitals will have varying hours for visitation.

But the policies are more similar than they are different. Visitors will be required to wear masks. Most COVID-19 patients will continue to be unable to receive visitors – some exceptions have been in place for end-of-life situations, including for clergy visits. And people who are visiting hospitals will be expected to limit their contact and avoid wandering in hospital areas.

“I think there is a lot of excitement to take one step back to normalcy,” Gonsenhauser said. “This is a big one. It’s going to mean a lot to a lot of patients and to a lot of family members.”

Recently, restrictions have been gradually lifted at some Ohio hospitals. Cincinnati hospitals were among the first in the state to resume visitation, allowing patients to have visitors on May 21.

In Ohio, restrictions were eased at assisted living and intermediate care facilities on June 8, and patients were allowed to see visitors from a distance outdoors. Gonsenhauser said it would be infeasible for Wexner to do outdoor visits, given the challenges of moving many types of patients.

Strict restrictions remain in effect for Ohio’s nursing homes, some of which have seen shocking death tolls from COVID-19.