Visiting Guidelines
Updated December 4, 2023
Holy Cross Health acknowledges that family members and visitors are integral to patients' physical and emotional well-being. This policy aims to create visitor guidelines that support relationship-centered care while providing a restful healing environment for all patients.
For Acute and Critical Care Areas
- Two visitors in patient room at a time. (one can be a child age 12 or older if accompanied by an adult age 18 or older), between 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM.
- For designated quite hours, no overnight visitors except a banded support person.
For all other areas, look below.
Patient Resources
All Patients
Patients with Disabilities and Support Persons
Guidance for Holy Cross Health Hospitals
- Patients receiving end-of-life care. Visits must be pre-arranged. One religious support person may accompany the two visitors. Visits during quiet hours must be pre-arranged with the patient’s nurse. Please contact the patient’s nurse to arrange a time.
- Emergency Department patients. Only if needed to facilitate care or treatment.
- One adult may accompany a pediatric patient. Visitor cannot switch out with another adult unless the first adult needs to leave the premises
- Children under the age of 12 who arrive with an Emergency Department patient may stay for a short period of time while pickup and childcare arrangements are being made.
- Patients undergoing surgery and procedures. The visitor may only accompany the patient for procedures or testing. The visitor accompanying surgery patients must remain in the designated waiting area at the hospital and may not stay overnight.
- Maternity patients receiving care in the high-risk perinatal center, the maternity centers (private labor, delivery, and recovery rooms), and post-partum. The visitor must have a hospital wristband and will not be allowed to switch with another visitor at any time. Learn more about the maternity visiting guidelines.
- Neonatal patients. Only one visitor at a time, but up to two visitors may have a hospital wristband and will be allowed to switch. Visitors with hospital wristbands may come in at any time—except during shift change, between 6:30 and 7:30 a.m. and between 6:30 and 7:30 p.m.
- Only one visitor may visit at a time in the Holy Cross Hospital neonatal unit due to space considerations. Visitors must have a hospital wristband.
- One support person with a hospital wristband may stay overnight.
- Pediatrics patients. Only one primary caregiver with a hospital wristband will be allowed at any time and will be allowed to switch.
- Patients with a disability. A legally authorized support person may accompany, visit, or stay for an agreed-upon period of time in the hospital when the support person's presence is clinically indicated, and the patient will benefit from the intervention of the support person.
- Inpatient areas. Exceptions are made for legally authorized support persons and to facilitate care or treatment.
To obtain visiting information prior to your arrival, contact the department where you or your loved one will be admitted, by calling Holy Cross Hospital at 301-754-7000 or Holy Cross Germantown Hospital at 301-557-6000. Please discuss overnight stays with the patient’s nurse.
Guidance for Holy Cross Health Outpatient Facilities
- Ambulatory care centers
- Holy Cross Health Centers
- Holy Cross Health Partners
- Holy Cross Hospital's Chronic Outpatient Hemodialysis Unit
- Holy Cross Radiation Treatment Center
- Holy Cross Dialysis Center at Woodmore
- Holy Cross Hospital OB/Gyn Clinic
- Holy Cross Germantown Hospital OB Clinic
- Holy Cross Hospital Outpatient Infusion Center
- Holy Cross Hospital Pain Management Center
*Unless needed to facilitate care or treatment.
Guidance for Vendors and Other Visitors
- Vendors unless pre-approved for a procedure or requested by an area and pre-scheduled.
- External visitors to Starbucks or the cafeteria.
- Visitors of the chapel or other business purposes unless pre-approved in advance.
Guidance for Holy Cross Health Hospitals
- Patients receiving end-of-life care. Visits must be pre-arranged. One religious support person may accompany the two visitors. Visits during quiet hours must be pre-arranged with the patient’s nurse. Please contact the patient’s nurse to arrange a time.
- Emergency Department patients. Only if needed to facilitate care or treatment. One adult may accompany pediatric patient.
- Children under the age of 12 who arrive with an Emergency Department patient may stay for a short period of time while pickup and childcare arrangements are being made.
- Medical and Surgical and Critical Care patients, between 2 and 6 p.m. Visitor will not be allowed to switch or stay overnight, except legally authorized support person.
- Patients undergoing surgery and procedures. The visitor may only accompany the patient for procedures or testing. The visitor accompanying surgery patients must remain in the designated waiting area at the hospital and may not stay overnight.
- Maternity patients receiving care in the high-risk perinatal center, the maternity centers (private labor, delivery, and recovery rooms), and post-partum. The visitor must have a hospital wristband and will not be allowed to switch with another visitor at any time. Learn more about the maternity visiting guidelines.
- Neonatal patients. Only one visitor at a time, but up to two visitors may have a hospital wristband and will be allowed to switch. Visitors with hospital wristbands may come in at any time—except during shift change, between 6:30 and 7:30 a.m. and between 6:30 and 7:30 p.m.
- Only one visitor may visit at a time in the Holy Cross Hospital neonatal unit due to space considerations. Visitors must have a hospital wristband.
- One support person with a hospital wristband may stay overnight.
- Pediatrics patients. Only one primary caregiver with a hospital wristband will be allowed at any time and will be allowed to switch.
- Patients with a disability. A legally authorized support person may accompany, visit, or stay for an agreed-upon period of time in the hospital when the support person's presence is clinically indicated, and the patient will benefit from the intervention of the support person.
- Patients who are confirmed or suspected COVID-19 adult patients. Exceptions made for end-of-life.
To obtain visiting information prior to your arrival, contact the department where you or your loved one will be admitted, by calling Holy Cross Hospital at 301-754-7000 or Holy Cross Germantown Hospital at 301-557-6000. Please discuss overnight stays with the patient’s nurse.
Guidance for Holy Cross Health Outpatient Facilities
- Ambulatory care centers
- Holy Cross Health Centers
- Holy Cross Health Partners
- Holy Cross Hospital's Chronic Outpatient Hemodialysis Unit
- Holy Cross Radiation Treatment Center
- Holy Cross Dialysis Center at Woodmore
- Holy Cross Hospital OB/Gyn Clinic
- Holy Cross Germantown Hospital OB Clinic
- Holy Cross Hospital Outpatient Infusion Center
- Holy Cross Hospital Pain Management Center
Guidance for Vendors and Other Visitors
- Vendors unless pre-approved for a procedure or requested by an area and pre-scheduled.
- External visitors to Starbucks or the cafeteria.
- Visitors of the chapel or other business purposes unless pre-approved in advance.
Guidance for Holy Cross Health Hospitals
Visiting Hours: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. | Quiet hours to promote patient rest: 8 p.m. to 10 a.m.
- Acute and critical care patients. Two visitors in patient room at a time. (one can be a child 12 or older if accompanied by an adult).
- One banded support person may stay overnight.
- Emergency room pediatric patients (up to age 17). Maximum of two visitors per patient upon approval of department manager or designee.
- One adult visitor may stay overnight during designated quiet hours.
- Maternity patients receiving care in the high-risk perinatal center, the maternity centers (private labor, delivery, and recovery rooms), and post-partum.
- Visitors must be wearing a hospital wristband.
- Visitors may be asked to remain in the patient's room at all times and wear appropriate personal protective equipment. Learn more about the maternity visiting guidelines.
- Neonatal patients. Visitors with hospital wristbands may come in at any time—except during shift change, between 6:30 and 7:30 a.m. and between 6:30 and 7:30 p.m.
- One support person with a hospital wristband may stay overnight.
- Surgical and procedural patients. Maximum of two visitors per patient.
- Pediatric unit patients. Visitors are permitted between 4 and 8 p.m.
- Visitors with and without hospital wristbands and siblings of all ages are permitted within the two-visitor limit unless public health considerations do not permit children as determined by the hospital.
- One adult visitor may stay overnight during designated quiet hours.
- Emergency room adult patients (age 18 and older)
- Children under age 12 who arrive with patients to be seen may remain in the building for a short period of time while a responsible adult arranges to pick up and care elsewhere.
Legally Authorized Support Person: A legally authorized support person, included within the two-visitor limit, may accompany, visit, or stay with patients who have a disability when the support person’s presence is clinically indicated, and the patient will benefit from the intervention of the support person.
To obtain visiting information prior to your arrival, contact the department where you or your loved one will be admitted, by calling Holy Cross Hospital at 301-754-7000 or Holy Cross Germantown Hospital at 301-557-6000. Please discuss overnight stays with the patient’s nurse.
Guidance for Holy Cross Health Outpatient Facilities
- Ambulatory care centers
- Holy Cross Health Centers
- Holy Cross Health Partners
- Holy Cross Hospital's Chronic Outpatient Hemodialysis Unit
- Holy Cross Radiation Treatment Center
- Holy Cross Dialysis Center at Woodmore
- Holy Cross Hospital OB/Gyn Clinic
- Holy Cross Germantown Hospital OB Clinic
- Holy Cross Hospital Outpatient Infusion Center
- Holy Cross Hospital Pain Management Center
Guidance for Other Visitors
- Scheduled chapel services, meetings or other business purpose.
- External visitors to Starbucks or the Cafeteria are not permitted.
Visiting Guidelines for Holy Cross Hospital and Holy Cross Germantown Hospital
- Visitors who have had recent exposure to a communicable disease or who exhibit signs and symptoms such as fever, cough, nasal discharge, or undiagnosed rash should postpone their visit until they are healthy.
- Visitors must stop at the information desk in the main lobby to receive a visitor's badge each time they enter the hospital. The visitor's badge must always be displayed while in the hospital.
- Children under the age of 12 who arrive with parents to be seen may remain in the building for a short period of time while the person responsible for them arranges for them to be picked up and cared for elsewhere.
- To ensure privacy, visitors may be requested to leave the patient’s room during procedures or treatments.
- Legally authorized support persons may accompany, visit, or stay with patients who have a disability.
- Visitors may not record or photograph hospital staff or patients without their permission. If patients are unable to make decisions for themselves, permission must be obtained from the surrogate decision-maker. No pictures of medical treatment or procedures are allowed without approval. If you record people or procedures without permission, you will be asked to stop recording and delete the audio or image already captured. Any recording must be in accordance with Holy Cross Health's privacy and security policies. If you have questions, please contact the unit supervisor.
- Additional visitor restrictions may apply, and special exceptions are granted on a case-by-case basis.
- Hospital computers are for staff use only.
- Read our parking information before your visit.
*Additional visitor restrictions may apply and exceptions granted for legally authorized support persons to accompany, visit, or stay with patients who have a disability.