visitor information

Parents are not visitors—they are welcome to be with their child any time of the day or night. We encourage one parent to stay overnight with their child. If you wish to do so, please let your nurse know as early as possible. Other family members and friends in good health are welcome to visit. For the health and safety of all our patients, visitors and staff, our visitor policies may change.

Please remember that a hospitalized child’s energy is easily exhausted, and providing him or her with too many things to do or play with can be overwhelming. Limit your child’s visitors if necessary to help your child heal.

Make sure your visitors are considerate of other patients and staff, especially in regard to noise. Parents are responsible for their other children during visiting hours. Food and fresh or dried flowers are not allowed in patient rooms on some units. Latex balloons are not allowed anywhere in the hospital; Mylar balloons are allowed. If you have an inquiry about a special visitor in costume, please contact our Child Life Department at 718-470-3002.

Visitation Guidelines 

Subject to change

These are general visitation guidelines for patients in inpatient units, the emergency department, surgical/procedural areas and MRI/radiology (details about the facility’s current visitation policy are posted on the Cohen Children's Medical Center webpage):

• All visitors must be age 14 or older and must pass all current screening questions.
• All visitors must follow current mask mandates and practice social distancing.
• Hospital administration may alter these guidelines based on current infection control concerns, current inpatient census and other factors.
• Two persons may visit from 7 am to 11 pm. Only one visitor may be present from 11 pm to 7 am. This includes:
• parent(s)
• legal guardian
• sibling age 14 or older
• surrogate designated by the parent/legal guardian
• Patients may choose who can visit. If a family member/support system designee attempts to limit visitation (i.e., opting the patient out of the directory), that request must be confirmed by the patient and/or escalated to unit/departmental leadership.

Visitor Checkout

Please follow visitor checkout procedures to help us keep an accurate count of visitors:



• Visitors are asked to check their passes out with the front desk of the hospital. (There is also a collection basket at the front door.)
• Visitors will get a new pass upon reentry to the hospital.
  
  

Guidance for Safe Visitation

Let’s work together to help prevent the spread of infection to our patients, team members and visitors.

5 Steps to Washing Your Hands the Right Way

• Wet your hands with clean, running water, and use soap.
• Lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap. Lather the backs of your hands, between your fingers and under your nails.
• Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds (the time it takes to hum the “Happy Birthday” song from beginning to end twice).
• Rinse your hands well under clean, running water.
• Dry your hands using a clean paper towel.

How to Use Hand Sanitizer

• Apply the product to the palm of one hand.
• Rub your hands together.
• Rub the product over all the surfaces of your hands and fingers until your hands are dry—this should take around 20 seconds.

Isolation Precautions

Anyone who visits a patient with an isolation sign on the door should stop at the nursing station before entering the patient’s room. Isolation precautions create barriers that help prevent the spread of germs in the hospital. They are needed to protect you and the patient you are visiting. The precautions are also needed to protect other patients in the hospital.