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COVID-19 Updates for Patients & Visitors

COVID-19 Updates for Patients & Visitors Main Content

family member visiting patient in the hospital

Community COVID-19 Nurse Line

Talk to a Baptist Health nurse about what's next and how to get care for COVID-19 symptoms. This services is available Monday - Friday, 8am-5pm, for free.

904.302.5050

During the COVID-19 pandemic, our top priority is to keep our patients, visitors and caregivers safe. To protect everyone in our facilities, we’ve changed many of our policies and happenings at Baptist.

Here you’ll find:

  1. Who Can Visit & Where?
  2. Parking and Entry Information
  3. Updates to Events, Meetings, Tours and Classes
  4. Preparing for Your Surgery or Procedure
  5. Additional Resources & FAQs

Community COVID-19 Nurse Line

Talk to a Baptist Health nurse about what's next and how to get care for COVID-19 symptoms. This services is available Monday - Friday, 8am-5pm, for free.

904.302.5050

Why Baptist Health is Safe

Learn more about how we’re keeping patients, visitors and team members safe at our locations.

Safety Practices at Baptist

COVID-19 Updates for Patients & Visitors Additional Content Section 1

Who Can Visit & Where?

We are updating visitor access to our health system as noted below, effective Monday, September 13, 2021.

  • All visitors must be age 16+ unless noted otherwise.
  • Children under age 16 may not be brought along for the visit and may not be left unattended in the lobby/waiting area.

Masking Policies

We require all patients (ages 2+) and permitted visitors to wear masks or cloth facial coverings at all Baptist Health facilities, regardless of COVID-19 vaccine status. Please bring your ID and allow at least 15 minutes to complete our visitor check in at our hospital locations.

Masks with an exhalation vent or a face shield without a mask are not permitted at hospitals or emergency center. Learn more about our accepted mask policies.

Updated: Sept. 10, 2021

Permitted visitors may include:

Effective Sept. 13, 2021

*Who is an "essential" visitor? A person who is essential for the patient's mobility and/or for their physical well-being.

**Exceptions may be granted on a case-by-case by hospital leadership if needed. Any exceptions should be communicated by a manager to security and screeners.

How to Connect with Your Loved Ones in the Hospital

We know connection with loved ones is an important part of the healing process. With limited in-person visitation in our hospitals due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re encouraging families to connect over the phone or via video chat to stay connected.

Tips for Staying in Touch

Parking and Entry Information

Entrances may be limited. Patients and permitted visitors should park and enter through the following areas:

COVID-19 Updates for Patients & Visitors Additional Content Section 2

Emergency Room & Urgent Care

The Emergency Room is designed for severe medical cases or injuries. If you feel you have a medical emergency, please call 911.

Several infection prevention measures are also in place in our emergency departments, including:

  • Universal masking requirements for team members, physicians, patients and visitors
  • Frequent cleaning of common surfaces to thwart exposure
  • Escalated infection prevention measures including hand hygiene (clean hands only!)
  • Limiting the number and ages of visitors (1 visitor, only if needed to support patients with impairment or mobility needs)
  • Social distancing practices in waiting rooms and common areas

Baptist Health also has convenient options available including video doctor visits, to help you determine the appropriate next step in care. To set up an online doctor visit or see ER wait times at each of our facilities, please visit baptistcarenow.com.

Preparing for Your Surgery or Procedure​

We are committed to your safety during every step of your experience. While many remain concerned about the COVID-19 outbreak, we know some illnesses and injuries simply can’t wait. For your surgery or procedure, we want you know Baptist Health is a safe place for care.

Preparing for Safe Surgery
Testing Prior to Surgeries/Procedures

Your Virtual Care Needs

Caring for your health shouldn’t stop due to COVID-19. Our physicians can diagnose, treat, prescribe medications virtually, and conduct annual wellness checks.

Get Virtual Care

In-House COVID-19 Testing

We perform in-house COVID-19 testing on patients admitted to a Baptist Health hospital or Emergency Department, which differs from drive-thru site testing. If you had a COVID 19 test performed at a Baptist Health Laboratory, this fact sheet will answer many of your questions and give you important background information about your test.

COVID-19 Testing Fact Sheet

COVID-19 Updates for Patients & Visitors Additional Content Section 3

Events, Meetings, Tours and Classes

To reduce the risk of exposure to COVID-19, we have canceled most of our in-person classes, events, tours and meetings. Some classes will take place virtually. You will receive a notification if your event has been canceled or is available online.

We apologize for the inconvenience, and we will provide updates on any rescheduled events and classes as quickly as possible.

If you have any questions, please contact us at covid19@bmcjax.com.

Current Online Classes

We are now offering some of our maternity classes virtually. Register for any of these classes:

Childbirth Preparation Baby Care Basics Breastfeeding 101 Class