Patients & Visitors
Current Visitor Guidelines
Based on the increasing incidence of COVID-19, effective Friday, July 23, 2021, and until further notice, Merit Health will implement a revised visitor policy for all hospital facilities as follows:
- Patients in isolation may not have visitors.
- We encourage our patient families to consider remote visits using telephone or video chat.
Access to the hospital by patients and visitors will be limited to:
Main Entrance: Open Monday - Friday, 5:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Emergency Department Entrance: Open 24 hours per day, 7 days a week
Visitors will be allowed based on the following requirements and/or restrictions:
- One adult healthy visitor per patient per day is allowed for inpatients and surgical and procedure patients.
- No visitors will be allowed in the emergency department at this time, unless the patient is a minor.
- Pediatric patients are permitted to have two healthy adult visitors, and both must be parents, guardians, or caregivers.
- Adult patients who have been determined by the care team to be at the “end-of-life” may be visited by healthy members of the immediate family. Staff must pre-approve more than one visitor at a time, or visitors under the age of 18, for these patients.
- No visitors are allowed for outpatient imaging, lab or other services with the exception of the patient's primary caregiver, when necessary.
- All visitors must meet the following requirements for entry and continued visitation:
- Must pass the COVID-19 Symptom and Fever screening at the time of entry - no fever above 100.3 and no COVID-19 like symptoms
- Use of hand sanitizer upon entry and exit
- Wear a mask at all times while in the facility
- If the visitor arrives wearing gloves, they must be discarded upon entry
- Remain in the patient’s room or in the appropriate waiting area during their entire visit to the facility
- If the visitor leaves the facility for any reason and they have not received prior approval for re-entry from the staff, they may not reenter the facility until the following day.
- All patients and visitors, as allowed by exceptions, must be screened upon entry and granted access. If an individual meets criteria for concern, they may receive further instruction or not be allowed to enter the facility.
At Merit Health Biloxi, we understand that coming to the hospital as a patient or as a loved one's support person can be a difficult, often overwhelming experience. Whether you’re preparing for a hospital stay or stopping by to see friends and family, knowing where to go and what to bring will help make your visit less stressful. To make your experience easier, we want to provide you with helpful information you may need to plan your visit, such as what to expect, parking instructions, transportation and more.