In collaboration with the New Jersey Hospital Association and hospitals across the state, St. Joseph’s Health is transitioning to a new hospital visitation policy that uses color codes to set standard safety precautions for patients, visitors and staff based on the level of COVID-19 risk. The goal is to balance the importance of visitation for patients and their loved ones with the necessary safety precautions to protect all of us from the spread of coronavirus.

The policy is built on data in four key areas: COVID-19 levels in the community; the level of hospitalized COVID-19 patients; staffing levels; and supplies of personal protective equipment. Three color levels – Red, Yellow, or Green – are applied to hospitals based on region. St. Joseph’s Health, part of the Northeast region, is currently considered Level Yellow, which limits the number of allowed visitors to one at a time.

To that end, we have decided to make changes to our Visitor Policy. Effective immediately, only one visitor per day will be permitted for all COVID-negative patients. Visitors are not permitted for any COVID-positive patients unless under certain circumstances. The flyer, which you can view and download below, outlines the new policy and exceptions. Please print for your reference. Data and color codes will be reassessed weekly.

Thank you for your ongoing cooperation and for helping to spread the word to our patients and visitors.