Visitor Information

St. Margaret’s Visiting Policies and Information

St. Margaret’s Hospital welcomes visitors for all our patients.  For the safety of our patients and staff, due to the increased foot traffic caused by family and friends we request visitors look over and abide by some of our restrictions and policies.

Visiting Hours

St. Margaret’s Health strives to provide all patients with the opportunity to rest and recover in comfortable, quiet, private surroundings while enabling family and friends to participate in the healing process; and to provide access control that protects the rights of patients, visitors and employees to a safe, secure and orderly environment. Visitors are to use the main (north) entrance of the hospital from 5am until 8pm. Any visitors leaving the hospital after 8pm are to use the door located west of the lower lobby level. Visitors entering after 8pm are to use the Emergency Room entrance.

Each patient has the right to determine who may or may not visit. St. Margaret’s Health will not restrict, limit or otherwise deny visitation privileges on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation or disability.

Visiting Hour Requests

We request that our visitors:

  • Please limit visitors to one at one time in the patient’s room.
  • To ensure the privacy of our patients, we ask that you have a seat in the waiting area when the doctor is visiting the patient or at the request of the nurses when medical procedures are necessary.
  • Please consider not visiting patients if you have a fever, cough, or any other cold or flu symptoms or other infectious disease.
  • Because their physician may have prescribed a special diet for their patient, we ask that you please check with the patient’s physician or the nurses before bringing food to a patient.
  • For the safety of visitors and staff, visitors are asked to use the waiting areas when it is necessary to leave the patient’s room.
  • Children under 12 may visit patients with the supervision of an adult.
  • Preoperative and postoperative patients may have two family members stay with them through visiting hours on the day of surgery.

Please consider not visiting patients if you have a fever, cough or any other cold or flu symptoms or other infectious disease. It is important to restrict exposure in order to precent the spread of infectious disease among patients, staff, volunteers, and other visitors.

  • “Stop Signs” are posted on the patient room doorframe to indicate isolation precautions. Visitors are to follow the posted procedures or check with a nurse to receive specific instructions.
  • A visitor may not enter areas posted with “Authorized Personnel” or “Staff Only” signs.
  • For the safety of the visitors and staff, and for patient privacy, visitors are asked to use the waiting areas when it is necessary to leave the patient’s room.
  • Children less than 12 years of age are to be accompanied by a responsible adult, and at no time are to be left in the care of the patient. All minors are subject to curfew laws.
  • One person may stay overnight to support the patient during the course of their hospital stay. This support person may sleep in the recliner, cot, sleep chair or pull-out bed. The hospital bed is for the patient only.
  • Because the physician may have prescribed a special diet for the patient, we ask that you please check with the nurse before bringing food to the patient.
  • The operating room and recovery room are restricted areas where no visitors are allowed.
Obstetrics Unit Policies
  • The nursery area is a secured area and no admittance is allowed.
  • Laboring mothers may have two support people with them.
  • No children under the age of 12 are allowed in the Family Birthing Center. The only exception to this is the siblings of the newborn.
  • Visitors are asked to remember that the new mothers are usually excited but tired and that brief visits are often best. Visitors are also asked to remember that a breastfeeding mother will need privacy when it is time to nurse the baby.

Effective January 28, 2023 at 7am, along with all other acute hospital services, the Obstetrics Unit at St. Margaret’s Health – Peru temporarily suspended service.

To our expectant mothers and their families, we apologize for any added burden this announcement may have caused and wish you a healthy and safe pregnancy and delivery.

Visitation Clinical Restrictions

Restrictions include, but are not limited to:

  • Patient/legal guardian request; when the patient requests no visitors, a “No Visitors” sign will be placed on the door.
  • Court order limiting or restraining contact;
  • Behavior presenting a direct risk or threat to the patient, hospital staff, or others in the immediate environment;
  • Behavior disruptive of the functioning of the patient care unit;
  • Reasonable limitations on the # of visitors at any one time;
  • Patient’s risk of infection by the visitor;
  • Visitor’s risk of infection by the patient;
  • Extraordinary protections because of a pandemic or infectious disease outbreak;
  • Substance abuse treatment protocols requiring restricted visitation;
  • Patient’s need for privacy or rest;
  • Need for privacy or rest by another individual in the patient’s shared room;
  • When a patient is undergoing a clinical intervention or procedure and the treating health care professional believes it is in the patient’s best interest to limit visitation during the clinical intervention or procedure;
  • Patient’s in police custody.

Gift Shops

We operate two gift shops (one at each of our two hospital locations) with volunteers and staff who are ready to assist you and your family in the selection of greeting cards, stationery, decor, gift items, packaged candy and so much more! Our Gift Shop at St. Margaret’s Health – Spring Valley is operated by St. Margaret’s Foundation, while the Lobby Shoppe at St. Margaret’s Health – Peru is operated by the Auxiliary.

Click here to learn more about our gift shops.

Attention!

Our visitor policy has been updated due to COVID-19. The visitor policy on this page is currently not in place. Instead, please click here to view our updated visitor policy.

Thank you!

SMH Peru And Spring Valley Will Be Closing All Current Operations As Of Friday, June 16, 2023 At 11:59 P.M.

This includes the Hospital, Clinics and other facilities at both locations.

All portals will be inaccessible after this time.

Patients needing emergency care should call 911.

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