Piedmont Rockdale Visitor Information

Care Partner Policy (Updated November 6, 2025)

A Care Partner may be a relative, partner, friend or anyone (over age 18) that the patient chooses to have at their side during care. A Care Partner takes an active role in caring for their loved one in the hospital.

We encourage you to use digital resources to connect with your loved ones in the hospital and to assist them in their care. If a unit leader approves, one Care Partner (over age 18) may stay overnight in certain units, but they must be present before visiting hours end. If allowed, Care Partners must remain in rooms after 8 p.m.

Below are free resources that are available to use:

Virtual Visiting Resources

To best support the mental and emotional well-being of our patients and staff, these are our Visitor and Care Partner Guidelines. While we regret the inconvenience it may cause for some patients, safety is at the center of our organization. We believe these steps are necessary to create the safest environment at our hospital. The number of visitors allowed in a patient’s room is subject to change depending on their care needs.

Policy

Upon arrival at the hospital and/or patient care area, patients will be informed of their rights; this includes the patient's visitation rights. The patient's visitation rights include the right to receive their designated visitors and the right to withdraw or deny such consent at any time, and justified clinical restrictions which may be imposed on a patient's visitation rights. All visitors designated by the patient (or Care Partner where appropriate) shall enjoy visitation privileges that are no more restrictive than those that immediate family members would enjoy.

• All visitors, Care Partners, vendors, delivery drivers, etc., will be screened for weapons each time they enter the hospital.
• All visitors should wear a mask if they have signs/symptoms of a respiratory illness or visit when symptom-free. Please do not visit if you have experienced a fever, cough, runny nose, sore throat, skin rash, vomiting, or diarrhea in the last 48 hours.
• All visitors to patients on any type of isolation are responsible for complying with isolation precautions and donning appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE).
• We expect everyone on our premises to remain respectful.
• Piedmont Rockdale Hospital reserves the right to change the Visitor and Care Partner Guidelines at any time.

Entrance to the Building

• The Building A entrance is open daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• The Building B/Surgery Center entrance is open Monday through Friday from 5:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
• The Emergency Department entrance is open 24 hours daily.

All entrants to the buildings will be screened for weapons each time they enter the hospital.

During After Hours:

For the safety of our patients, access to our hospital is limited at night. All entry to the hospital after 7 p.m. must go through the Emergency Department entrance.

Visitor Guidelines

• We encourage no more than two visitors to a room at a time during the routine visiting hours from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Waiting rooms are available during visiting hours.
• Minors are allowed to visit patients at Piedmont Rockdale, but they must be supervised at all times in the hospital by an adult other than the patient.
• Visitors under the age of 12 are not routinely allowed unless an exception is approved by the relevant unit/department leader or Patient Experience/Nursing Supervisor.
• For visitor issues (disrespectful behavior, non-compliance with mask-wearing, not adhering to visiting hours), call 4444 to help de-escalate issues and expectation setting or remove the visitor from the facility.
• Contact Patient Experience (3395) or Public Safety (3838) for end-of-life visitation if crowd management is needed.

Some departments have limitations on visitation hours and/or number of visitors or Care Partners allowed per patient.

Restrictions on Visitations

There are times when it may be justified to implement clinical restrictions on visitation. Examples when visitation restrictions may be appropriate include, but are not limited to:

• Court order limiting/restraining contact
• Visitors engaging in disruptive, threatening, or violent behavior toward any staff member, patient or resident, other visitor, or other
• Reasonable limitations on the number of visitors at any one time
• Patient's risk of infection by the visitor
• Visitor's risk of infection by the patient
• Extraordinary protection because of a pandemic or infectious disease or outbreak
• Substance abuse treatment protocols requiring restricted visitation
• Patient's need for privacy or rest
• For patients, family members, or friends demonstrating behaviors that cannot be managed safely within the department, Security may be called, as appropriate, to assist in dealing with the behaviors. As a result of this intervention, family or friends may be escorted off the hospital property.

No Patient Left Alone Act

During the 2024 legislative session, the Georgia General Assembly passed the No Patient Left Alone Act, which was signed into law by Governor Brian Kemp on May 6, 2024, and made effective on July 1, 2024. This legislation establishes visitation rights for individuals admitted to hospitals and long-term care facilities.

Read the No Patient Left Alone Act

We strive to consistently deliver the safest, highest quality, patient-centered care and services to the community we are blessed to serve.