(KLZA)-- Beginning Saturday, April 11, a number of visitor rules will be in place at Community Hospital in Falls City.
• No visitors are allowed for non-minor patients with potentially contagious respiratory illness, including confirmed or suspected COVID.
• One person may be designated as a support person to visit and support an admitted patient during a non-respiratory admission. These support persons will be identified at the start of a stay and must be over the age of 18, in good health, be screened every day, and agree to exercise safe practices, including going directly to the patient’s room, and agreeing to be steadfast with masks, hand hygiene, and social distancing—both inside and outside the hospital.
• Minor patients will be allowed 1 parent or guardian, who must still be screened and abide by hospital policy.
• Persons receiving outpatient surgeries will be allowed 1 support person. 
• Emergency patients may be accompanied by a support person, if it is deemed safe by emergency practitioner or personnel. They may be asked to wait in the Emergency Department waiting room and are not permitted to enter the main hospital while waiting.
• Patients being seen for other services, including clinics, therapy, imaging, lab and such should generally come by themselves, unless they require a support person, due to disability or age.
• If staff feel an exception should be made regarding visitation, such as, perhaps, in emergency trauma or imminent end-of-life situations, the department head or designee or administrator on call should be consulted.
• Consistent with these changes, waiting rooms have been changed to separate sitters. Additionally, magazines and snacks—other than hands-free coffee and water—have been removed.
If you have any questions, please call 402-245-2428 and ask for the nurses station.