Carle Foundation Hospital visitors will register, check in starting March 20

Urbana, Ill. — As Carle Health focuses on bringing more safety and preparedness measures to facilities, community members visiting Carle Foundation Hospital patients and those entering the Emergency Department soon will need to show photo identification, register and receive a visitor badge when entering the hospital.

The new Guest Services registration, which launches 8 a.m. March 20, is Carle Health’s latest step in enhancing security for patients, visitors and team members.

“Checking in visitors gives us the knowledge to better enforce our visitor guidelines,” Keith McGlen, Carle Health vice president of Security and Emergency Management, said. The guest services registration ensures that patients have an appropriate number of visitors at the bedside and helps Carle Foundation Hospital (CFH) team members to more easily identify visitors and help them to get to their destination.

Guest Services registration follows national trends in hospital safety protocols and is part of Carle Health’s comprehensive plan to enhance security for patients, visitors and team members. The new process will help CFH team members know who is in the hospital and their intended destination. The ultimate goal is to improve the patient experience.

A person visiting a patient at CFH must register and check in at one of four entrances:

·         The outpatient services entrance at Orchard Street, where the check-in system will operate 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

·         The hospital main entrance at Park Street, which will operate 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.

·         The Heart and Vascular entrance, which will be open 6 a.m. to 5 p.m.

·         Or the Emergency Department entrance. After 10 p.m., visitors must check in at the ED entrance, which is operational 24/7.

To enter the hospital, visitors can expect the following:

·         A sign will direct visitors to a Guest Services station. There, Entryway team members will greet visitors and confirm the name of the patient they wish to see.

·         Visitors must show a photo ID, such as a driver’s license, which team members will scan into the Carle registration system. This is for internal use only and won’t reach organizations outside of Carle.

·         Entryway team members will take a photo of visitors and print a “Carle Visitor” paper badge with adhesive on the back. The badge will show the visitor’s name, photo, the floor or unit they will be visiting and their check-in time.

·         The visitor must wear the badge so it’s visible during their entire time in the hospital.

·         The badge will be good for that day’s visit. Before leaving the hospital, visitors should return to the same station to check out.

·         During subsequent visits, guests must simply check in and receive a new badge for that day. There will be no need to scan a visitor’s ID again or have another photo taken once registration is initially complete with Guest Services.

Carle Security has protocols in place for visitors who don’t have photo identification or decline to show it. Our hope with the new process is to provide more substantial support to guests visiting their loved ones in the hospital.

For more information, visit Carle.org.