South San Francisco, CA March 19, 2020 
From Michelle Gaskill-Hames, Senior Vice President of Health Plan and Hospital Operations, Kaiser Permanente Northern California
At Kaiser Permanente, the health and safety of our members, patients, employees and communities remain our priority.
As part of our commitment to protect our patients and staff, and to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Kaiser Permanente is restricting visitor policies based on the most current guidelines from Federal, state and local public health officials and the Governor of California. As of March 18, no visitors are allowed inside our hospitals in Northern California except under the following circumstances:
- During end-of-life care, visitors are limited to one visitor at a time, unless by special arrangement.
- For Labor and Delivery, Postpartum and Pediatric Units, including the pediatric and neonatal ICUs, only one visitor over the age of 14 who does not have any evidence of cough, cold, or illness, will be allowed. All other family members and visitors will be asked not to participate in visitation in the hospital until further notice.
- Drivers for patients arriving for surgeries or procedures will be allowed to enter with the patient and provide contact information but will be asked to leave until the patient is ready to be discharged.
- An adult caretaker (18 years or older) of someone with cognitive or physical disabilities who requires assistance, or to provide language assistance if interpretive services cannot suffice, will be allowed.
In our medical office settings, only one essential caregiver may accompany a patient. (i.e., support person for a minor under 18 or for persons with cognitive or physical disabilities who require assistance, or language assistance if interpretive services cannot suffice).
We ask that anyone with a cough, fever, or any other illness, who is not at the facility to receive medical care, refrain from entering our hospitals or medical offices. All individuals should follow respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette precautions. Greeters at the entrances to our facilities will screen for respiratory symptoms and provide directions to the appropriate care setting.
Kaiser Permanente is taking these steps, and others that support social distancing and safety, to ensure we can continue to provide the high-quality care our members need while protecting our staff employees, physicians, members, patients, and the public.
While our medical centers are open and operating and are safe places to be, we are helping to support social distancing, crowd avoidance, and other techniques that help to prevent and slow the dissemination of COVID-19. We are reaching out to offer our members video or telephone visits, which enable physicians to provide guidance for health concerns and make recommendations for next steps, including an in-person visit if needed or recommended. We are also encouraging the use of our mail-order pharmacy service to help our members avoid unnecessary outings.