Patients and Visitors

Visiting Patients in the Hospital

Visits from family, friends and clergy can be essential to patient’s healing process. Please review our hospital hours and recommendations for keeping our patients, visitors and team members as safe as possible. To view our full policy click here.

Baptist and Gulf Breeze Hospital

Daytime visiting hours are from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Overnight hours are from 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. For visits during this time, please check in at the security desk located in our emergency departments.

Jay Hospital

Due to skilled nursing within the hospital, caregivers/support persons are permitted under strict guidelines and must check in at the nurse’s station upon arrival. Call 850.675.8216 for details. Two visitors are allowed at a time. More visitors may be appropriate in circumstances such as comfort care. One visitor per patient is allowed in the emergency department. Any exceptions can be discussed with the nursing team.

Intensive Care Units

• Only two visitors at a time are allowed in the patient room.
• Young children should not routinely be visitors in critical care areas. Short visits may be permitted in limited circumstances. Such visits should be coordinated with the clinical team, the patient (or patient representative), and the adult who will be accompanying the child.
• During visitation, it may be necessary for the nurse to request that visitors leave the unit when:
  • Personal or emergency care is being provided
  • Private conversations between patient and/or caregivers is necessary
  • Invasive procedures are being performed
  • A patient requires uninterrupted rest time
  • During nurse medication administration to help provide the highest level of patient safety

Baptist Hospital – Behavioral Health Unit

Please contact the behavioral health unit for more information on visitation hours by calling 850.434.4808.

Safety Guidelines

To protect the safety of patients, visitors and team members, we offer the following infection prevention practices for all visitors:

• Visitors must be free from fever, cold, sore throat, upper respiratory infection or other contagious diseases.
• All children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult at all times.
• Children who are visiting cannot have been exposed to chicken pox, measles, rubella or mumps within the past three weeks.
• Hand washing/sanitizing when entering and leaving a room is required.
• All visitors must review applicable personal protective equipment (PPE) when posted on or about a patient’s doorway and wear PPE when requested.
• Read our facial covering policy.

Health Requires Rest and Recuperation

• To avoid tiring patients, we ask that visitors limit the length of their visit as well as the number of people visiting at one time. The number of visitors in a patient room should generally not exceed two at a time.
• Although every effort is made to allow open visitation, it may be necessary to restrict visitation temporarily. At a minimum, “patients may designate a patient representative (family member or friend) who may visit the patient in-person for at least two hours each day during designated visitation hours. Any restrictions to this visitation will be explained by the patient’s treatment team.
• To prevent disturbing other patients, we ask that all visitors be as quiet as possible. If you are wearing hard-soled or high-heeled shoes, please walk quietly and keep voices down while in the hallway.
• Patient care must remain a priority. Upon request by a Baptist workforce member, visitors may be asked to leave the patient room. This may be necessary when personal and emergency care is provided; invasive procedures are being performed; or the patient requires uninterrupted rest time.