Press Release

Greenville, SC—Prisma Health will offer limited visitation for designated care partners beginning Tuesday, Sept. 1. 

“Being with a loved one is, in itself, a healing therapy, and Prisma Health looks forward to offering expanded visitation for designated care partners next week,” said Scott Sasser, MD, a nationally recognized disaster preparedness expert who oversees Prisma Health’s COVID-19 response. 

“Throughout the pandemic, our team members have worked hard to make virtual visits – using digital devices such as iPads – possible for families who have been unable to visit their patients for in-person visits, and we will continue to do so,” said Sasser. “Since this pandemic likely will be with us into the near future, we ask our communities’ continued patience as we strive to provide extraordinary care under challenging circumstances.”

In an abundance of caution, Prisma Health had limited visitation early in the pandemic like other health systems in an effort to ensure patient, family and team member safety. Prisma Health made the decision to offer additional limited visitation after witnessing a decline in community spread. 

The expanded policy will allow additional visitation by a single designated care partner under the following limited circumstances:

• Inpatients who are not suspected of or diagnosed with COVID-19
• Emergency department patients once patients have been moved to a treatment area
• Obstetric patients
• Behavioral health patients
• Clergy may be requested for patients without signs of COVID-19 as long as care is not disrupted

Most visitation will occur 2–6 p.m. daily, although the designated care partner for a patient being treated in the emergency department will have access 24–7. Care partners can leave and return to the facility once every 24 hours, except for care partners for patients in the emergency departments, who may leave the hospital and return once every 12 hours.

For behavioral health patients, visitation hours will be 6-7 p.m. daily but only by appointment. 

Only one person can be identified as the designated care partner and will serve in that capacity over the entire duration of the patient’s hospitalization. 

Pediatric and obstetric patients were already allowed one adult care partner. Likewise, patients undergoing procedures where anesthesia, moderate or deep sedation are performed – such as minor surgeries, colonoscopies and special radiology procedures – were also allowed to have a care partner wait in the waiting room.

Visitors still cannot visit patients who have COVID-19 or are suspected to have it, except for in end-of-life situations.

Each designated care partner will be screened as they enter a hospital and will be required to mask throughout the visit. If the visitor doesn’t have an appropriate mask, hospital staff will provide a disposable one. The designated visitor must remain in the patient room for the duration of the visit. They may not visit the cafeteria or food court, which will remain limited to staff. 

Exceptions requiring approval by the attending doctor and an administrator include the following:

• One care partner may remain with a patient who needs additional assistance, such as patients with special behavioral or physical needs.
• Up to three care partners, including those under 18, may visit with a patient in an end-of-life situation, with one who can stay at all times when death is imminent. In some cases, up to three care partners may also be allowed to visit patients with COVID-19 in end-of-life situations.
• Clergy visits for patients with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 at the end of life .

Practice settings also will offer expanded visitation in some situations:

• One care partner is allowed for obstetric patients.
• One partner is allowed for oncology patients for doctor visits but may not accompany their loved one into infusion areas.
• One partner, such as parent or legal guardian, may accompany children to pediatric doctor appointments. Infants two months and younger may be accompanied by both parents.
• One partner is allowed for adults who need additional assistance, such as patients with special behavioral or physical needs.
• Care partners are not allowed to accompany a patient for laboratory or radiology services unless the patient needs extra help, such as a patient with special behavioral or physical needs. 

Prisma Health Lila Doyle in Seneca is not included in the extended visitation. It will maintain its visitor restrictions currently in place in order to follow the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid mandate for all long-term care facilities.

About Prisma Health
Prisma Health is a not-for-profit health company and the largest healthcare system in South Carolina. With nearly 30,000 team members, 18 hospitals, 2,984 beds and more than 300 physician practice sites, Prisma Health serves more than 1.2 million unique patients annually. Its goal is to improve the health of all South Carolinians by enhancing clinical quality, the patient experience and access to affordable care, as well as conducting clinical research and training the next generation of medical professionals. For more information, visit PrismaHealth.org.

Prisma Health pilots new approach to COVID-19 community testing

GREENVILLE, SC—To improve location awareness, Prisma Health will pilot using two stationary COVID-19 community testing sites throughout the month of August as opposed to moving its testing sites throughout multiple communities each week.  

The sites, based in Simpsonville and Columbia, will typically each run three times a week, which is the same number of clinics typically held in each region before the change. 

“As we looked at the testing demographics, we realized that most people based the decision on where to get tested on their own schedules, not so much where the testing site was located,” said Jennifer Snow, executive director of Prisma Health’s accountable communities. “Based on that feedback, potential confusion over changing test sites and the lost efficiency of transporting supplies to multiple sites every week, we opted to pilot the use of stationary sites. We hope this new model can provide our communities with consistent sites that people can find more easily and be more easily managed.”

After two weeks of being in the primary locations, Prisma Health will evaluate its testing data to see if the change is causing any unintended access issues. “We are committed to serving our rural communities and will make changes as necessary to ensure that happens,” said Snow.

The Upstate site will be at Brookwood Church, 580 Brookwood Point Place, Simpsonville. The site launches Tuesday, Aug. 4, and runs every Tuesday, Friday and Saturday throughout August.

The Midlands site will be at 2204 Lee St., Columbia. Community members can join the testing line by driving to the intersection of Greene and Heidt streets, where the line starts. That site launches Saturday, Aug. 8, and then moves to every Tuesday, Friday and Saturday clinics the following week.

The community testing, primarily done in partnership with the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) and state agencies, is designed to reach populations who may not otherwise have access to traditional testing or online virtual visits. 

Here is what community members should know about community testing sites:

• All those who think they might have COVID-19 will be tested.
• No one needs a doctor’s order at community sites. (Physician-ordered testing is done at Prisma Health’s hospital-based testing sites.)
• Testing will be given regardless of ability to pay.
• All testing will be finished by noon; organizers suggest arriving early to secure your place in the testing line.
• Spanish-speaking Prisma Health team members will be available at every site.
• All those taking part will be given masks when they arrive. They will also be asked to maintain social distancing.
• Test results should come back within four days.
• Everyone tested will receive follow-up information about test results – whether positive or negative – from providers at Prisma Health.
• Everyone will get tips on isolating at home if sick, caring for themselves and seeking more help if symptoms worsen.

For more information on Prisma Health’s COVID-19 outreach, visit PrismaHealth.org/Coronavirus. For more information on COVID-19 testing in S.C., visit SCDHEC.gov/COVID19MobileClinics or SCDHEC.gov/COVID19Testing.

About Prisma Health
Prisma Health is a not-for-profit health company and the largest healthcare system in South Carolina. With nearly 30,000 team members, 18 hospitals, 2,984 beds and more than 300 physician practice sites, Prisma Health serves more than 1.2 million unique patients annually. Its goal is to improve the health of all South Carolinians by enhancing clinical quality, the patient experience and access to affordable care, as well as conducting clinical research and training the next generation of medical professionals. For more information, visit PrismaHealth.org.