Email this pageVisitor Information
Visitors Make All the Difference
Most beneficial for many patients is the support they receive from their families and friends. Even when frequent visits are not possible due to distance, work, or school schedules, it is possible to be supportive. All rooms have dedicated telephones and access to computers and the Internet. You can send cards, letters, and gifts. While all of these take some planning and thoughtfulness, they make it possible to support the patient even when you cannot be present daily.
Work or time away from the hospital may allow you to keep stress to a minimum, enabling you to continue being supportive throughout the entire transplant and the recovery phase. If you can make visits, don’t worry about the frequency or duration. There may be periods when there is not an opportunity for conversation. During these times, your presence is appreciated. The presence can be in person or in spirit, and can be accomplished with a note or reminder that you are there. It’s okay if your work is therapeutic for you. No one benefits from being reminded constantly about what your loved one is going through. .
Guidelines for Visitors
- Visiting hours are not restricted on the BMT Unit. (Visiting hours end at 8 p.m. for Strong Memorial Hospital patients.) The rooms can become quite crowded, so we do ask you to limit the number of visitors in the room at one time.
- You may have one adult guest stay in the room with you at night. There is a sleeper cot or a recliner in each patient's room.
- Children under 14 years old need to be accompanied by an adult. We do not allow visits from children under 6 years old. However, if it is the patient’s child, it is generally allowed. Younger children and infants tend to carry more communicable illnesses. Children cannot be unattended while visiting the unit.
- Patients or visitors are restricted from the Nurse’s Station and Conference Room to protect patient confidentiality.
- For safety reasons, children should not play at the Nurse’s Station or in the kitchen area. Children should be accompanied by an adult in the patient’s room or the visitor lounge.
- Please advise any visitors that if they have had any exposure to chicken pox or other communicable illnesses, they should consult a doctor before visiting. If they have visited and later discover exposure, please notify your nurse.
- To protect the patients and the environment, all visitors to the unit are screened by a nurse for any possible contagious illness.
- During the times when a patient’s condition requires special attention by the medical or nursing staff, the number of visitors and the duration of visits should be limited. Visitors may be asked to leave the room for short periods during certain aspects of care.
- Visitors may bring gifts to transplant patients, but there are some special precautions. Do not bring fresh or dried flowers or fresh fruit; these items may contain mold or bacteria that is harmful to the patient. Alternatives are gifts, such as books, magazines, CDs, or board games. Greeting cards are always appreciated. The patient can give visitors a mailing address after they are admitted.
Visitor Lounge
There is a lounge area for your visitors within the unit. In the lounge, visitors will find a bathroom, sitting area with a TV/VCR, a stereo, and a computer with Internet access. Children cannot be left unattended in the lounge.
Lodging and Accommodations
Strong Guest Services can assist you with lodging and accommodations. Free accomodations are available at Hope Lodge for cancer patients and their families who come from outside Monroe County for ambulatory treatment. For information, call 800-ACS-2345 (TTY: 866-228-4327).
Blood & Marrow Transplant Program
