Visitor Guidelines
- Visitors must be at least 12 years old
- Most hospital visiting hours are 8:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. daily; however, other clinical settings/locations may vary. Please see visitor policies related to other care settings below
- Masks are optional for all patients and visitors, unless otherwise indicated.
- Masks are required in the following high-risk area: Evanston ISCU
- Masks are recommended in areas where we are caring for patients who are at a higher risk of infection.
Mask up if:
- You are sick
- Are recovering from COVID-19
- Are visiting a designated high-risk area
- Visitors must self-screen for COVID-19 symptoms before entering the hospital or care site.
- Wash hands frequently with soap and water or hand sanitizer.
- Visitors, please consider postponing your visit of a patient if you’re sick.
Intensive Care Unit
- 6:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. daily. Only two visitors at a time. Visitors must be at least 12 years old. Visitors will follow established ICU safety guidelines. Exceptions to these hours will be made based on the patients' condition.
Medical Surgical Unit
- 6:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. daily. Only two visitors at a time.
Lounges and Waiting Rooms
The Surgical Family Lounge is located on the second floor. The lounge is staffed with a receptionist and offers a patient-tracking board to follow a loved one's progress from pre-operative to post-operative care. Please sign-in with our receptionists upon arrival and let them know if you have any needs.
Family lounges are located on the floors of each patient unit except for the fourth floor of the Knox building.
Infection Control
- Please observe good hand hygiene practices, including disinfecting your hands upon entering and leaving a patient’s room. (Alcohol-based hand gel dispensers are placed conveniently for this purpose.)
- Please refrain from visiting a patient if you have, or have been exposed to, COVID-19, a cold, flu or other illness.
- If you are visiting a patient who has been placed under special infection-control precautions or isolation, please read the isolation signs, check with the patient’s nurse, and make sure you understand and cooperate with the required precautions.
- For patients on isolation precautions for COVID-19, visitors should wear a standard mask, gown and gloves in the room and discard gown and gloves and do hand hygiene upon leaving the room.
- For patients on droplet precautions for other respiratory viruses, visitors should wear a standard mask in the room and discard this mask and do hand hygiene upon leaving the room.
- For patients on airborne isolation, visitors should discuss the appropriate mask recommendations with the patient’s nurse before entering an isolation room.
- If visiting a patient in special isolation, refrain from visiting public areas within the hospital (i.e. the cafeteria).
No smoking is allowed at NorthShore University HealthSystem facilities including outside grounds and parking structures.