Boone Hospital and MU Health to no longer allow visitors

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Boone Hospital and MU Health Care are suspending visitation within its facilities due to COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations increasing in Boone County and Columbia.

As of Friday Boone Hospital had 48 inpatients with COVID-19 and MU Hospital had 49 COVID-19 positive patients.

The Executive Director of Patient Care with Boone Hospital, Laura Noren, spoke Friday afternoon about the changes being made to visitation requirements.

"Capacity will become a problem if we continue down this path we are on," she said. "We feel like it is the right thing to do to limit visitors so as MU Health has done, so we will have a no visitor restriction once again."

The new policy will go into effect at Boone Hospital starting on Monday morning at 6 a.m.

However, there are a few exceptions to the policy at Boone Hospital including, end of life patients, which will allow two visitors with hours determined by a care team, obstetrics, which will allow one support person with 24-hour visitation access, and patients with cognitive impairment, which will allow one visitor with 24-hour visitation access.

MU Health Care also tightened their restrictions on visitors to its hospitals and clinics in response to the rising number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in the area.

There are exceptions to the new policy at MU Health as well. One visitor is still allowed for outpatient surgeries and procedures where sedation is used and when one partner, one spouse and coach is allowed in labor and delivery, and when patients are nearing the end of their life.

Visitation restrictions for MU Health Care began Friday morning.

The restrictions for both hospitals are designed to protect employees, patients and visitors.