Visitor information
Updated May 4, 2023
Patient safety is alway our top priority. To help keep viruses and infectious illnesses out of UC Davis Medical Center, we have specific policies for guests of our patients to follow.
Guests of patients are allowed if they meet the criteria in our visitor policy below. The policy applies to inpatient and outpatient services within the UC Davis Medical Center hospital building, and also to the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center. It applies for both adult and pediatric patients.
Some of our care services may also have additional policies about the number of guests allowed. Their policies are also listed below. Examples include our Emergency Department, our birth center, our surgery services, the NICU and PICU, and our outpatient or “ambulatory” care facilities.
All of our guest policies are subject to change at any time. Changes may not be listed on this website. Please follow any instructions given by our staff.
Thank you for your understanding! Please see below for more information and options.
1. All hospital and emergency department guests are required to check in prior to entering
Guests visiting the hospital or emergency department must check in at the Guest Relations desk prior to visiting. General visiting hours are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
2. Masks are available
Patients and essential caregivers are no longer required to wear face masks during their clinic appointment and in waiting areas. However, masks will remain available to patients, visitors, and employees who want to wear them.
- If a patient is coughing or sneezing, that person may be asked to wear a face mask while waiting and during their visit.
- If the caregiver or loved one accompanying the patient has signs of illness (such as runny nose, sneezing, fever, chills, coughing, etc.), that person should wait for the patient at home or in a vehicle outside the clinic.
- If a patient or guest requests for their health care providers or care team members to wear masks, they will do so. Please ask.
3. Guests who are ill, or have symptoms of illness, are not allowed
In all cases, guests of patients are only allowed if they do not have symptoms of illness (such as fever, runny nose, cough, shortness of breath).
4. Special policies for visiting COVID-positive patients
Sometimes guests may be limited for COVID-positive patients during the quarantine period. For example, see the specific circumstances listed below:
- Two guests are allowed to visit adult patients (including patients who are COVID-positive) in the hospital, and will be able to rotate with other family members or friends. There is not a limit on the number of guests who can visit; however, only two guests per patient will be allowed inside the hospital at a time.
- Adult COVID-positive patients at the end of life, or having physical, intellectual, cognitive and/or developmental disabilities, may have one support person (who is determined essential to care or deemed medically necessary), stay and quarantine with the patient, so long as the support person does not leave the room.
- For pediatric COVID-positive patients, two asymptomatic parents/legal guardians may stay and quarantine in the patient’s room, so long as the parent/guardian has no more than mild COVID-19 symptoms. If a parent/guardian does leave the room, they can no longer stay with the child. (Meals will be provided.)
Patients in the NICU: If parents/guardians are COVID-positive or have any symptoms of illness, they are not permitted to enter the NICU. One caregiver will be able to visit, as long as they are not from the same household with the COVID-positive parents/guardians. - Obstetrical/Postpartum and Labor and Delivery COVID-positive patients may have one support person stay and quarantine with the patient, so long as the support person does not leave the room.
- Visitors for COVID-positive patients may be restricted at other specific locations or times, such as in the Emergency Department and before or after surgery. Please follow the specific policies for the unit you are visiting, and check with staff if you have any questions.
Guests entering an isolation room (including patients who are COVID-positive) will be instructed about the appropriate use of personal protective gear such as gowns, gloves, masks and/or goggles. Guests are required to wear this gear as instructed by our staff.
Note: These policies are subject to change at any time.
5. The number of guests allowed per patient is limited
The number of guests can vary based on location. See below.
Two guests are allowed to visit a patient in the hospital, and guests will be able to rotate with other family members or friends. There is not a limit on the number of guests who can visit; however, only two guests per patient will be allowed inside the hospital at a time.
Guests under the age of 16 are generally not permitted to visit.
Note: These policies are subject to change at any time.
- Emergency Department patients (18 years or older) can have two (2) asymptomatic guests, 24 hours a day, at the bedside. Guests may rotate 2 at a time; however, they must remain at the bedside. Guests not at bedside are not able to wait inside the hospital or emergency department waiting rooms.
- For pediatric patients, a maximum of two (2) asymptomatic guests at the bedside.
- No guests under the age of 16 are allowed to visit.
- Patients admitted to North 1 may have guests during normal hospital visiting hours, 9 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Note: This is not an exhaustive list of the current visitor policies. These policies are subject to change at any time.
- For surgical patients whose guests use the Main Pavilion Surgical Waiting Room (3rd floor) or the Same Day Surgery Waiting Room, each patient may have two adult guests. Rare exceptions may be made to have one guest in the Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) for a short period of time (10 minutes).
- For pediatric surgical patients whose guests use the Children’s Surgery Center Surgical Waiting Room (2nd floor), each patient may have two adult guests. Rare exceptions may be made based on the limited ability to have visitors in the Children's Surgery Center's Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) for short periods of time.
In pediatrics units, the PICU and the NICU:
- Each pediatric patient can have six total guests. This includes parents. Only two guests may be at the bedside at any given time. The names of all six guests must be provided to the unit, which will then be confirmed when the parent or guest checks in each day.
- Guests must be 16 years and older.
- For the PICU and Davis 7 units, parents are allowed to stay in the hospital 24/7. However, space may be limited, and the units are only able to accommodate overnight stays for one parent at the bedside.
- Parents of NICU patients may visit 24/7. However, they are not able to sleep at the bedside.
- COVID-positive patients are allowed guests. However, parents that are COVID-positive and asymptomatic/mildly symptomatic must quarantine in the patient’s room.
Note: These policies are subject to change at any time.
- Labor and Delivery patients may have up to two support persons/partners, depending on the situation.
- If desired, one preapproved doula can also be present if prior arrangements have been made with the hospital and the doula follows hospital personal protective equipment (PPE) and infection-control guidelines. View our birth center visitor page for more information. Call the University Birthing Suites at 916-703-3030 to begin the doula preapproval process.
Patients who are at the end of life may have two loved ones at a time at the bedside, and may rotate additional loved ones.
Patients who have an appointment at UC Davis ambulatory clinics, UC Davis Cancer Center, laboratory, or radiology may have one support person with them. There may be some exceptions in limited pediatric situations, or when another person is needed as part of the patient’s care team.
(These facilities usually serve outpatients, but may still be located on the medical center's Sacramento campus).
View our policy for outpatient visitors/guests/caregivers at UC Davis Health clinics
6. Alternatives to in-person visiting
- Call the patient on a cell phone
- Use video calling services like FaceTime or Skype
- Use instant messaging services like Facebook Messenger or Snapchat
- Call the patient’s room through the main hospital switchboard at 916-734-2011.
UC Davis Health can provide an iPad for a patient to video call loved ones (via Zoom or other digital platforms).