Visiting Hours & Policies

Northside Hospital Visitation Guidelines

Effective Monday, 6/22/20

To help prevent the transmission and spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, Northside Hospital is taking precautions to protect patients, family members, staff, and the community. Entry to all five Northside hospitals and specialty facilities is restricted.

Visitors will not be accepted at Northside Hospital Atlanta, Northside Hospital Duluth, Northside Hospital Forsyth, Northside Hospital Gwinnett, Northside Gwinnett Extended Care Center, Northside Gwinnett Joan Glancy, or outpatient facilities. Outpatient facilities include all Northside Hospital Cancer Institute outpatient oncology practices and infusion centers.

Visitor guidelines for Northside Hospital Cherokee are as follows:

• No visitors will be allowed for PUI or confirmed COVID-19 patients; patients must have a negative COVID-19 test.
• One visitor per day will be allowed for medical, surgical and ICU patients between the hours of 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.
• Visitors under the age of 18 will not be allowed

Exceptions to the Visitor Policy (all hospital facilities):

• Women’s Services, Surgical and procedural areas will continue to permit one support person/care partner per patient. Labor & Delivery patients are allowed one support person of the mother's choosing for the duration of the hospital stay. No substitutions allowed
• Northside Hospital Special Care Nurseries will permit one primary caregiver to visit their infant in the NICU for one hour each day, and this may be extended to four hours for discharge training. Northside staff will continue to provide resources – including tablets for live streaming and emailed photographs – to enable visitors to connect with the babies.
• Patients undergoing outpatient surgery or procedures are allowed one visitor in the waiting room.
• Minor patients (under 18) are allowed two visitors
• There may be additional exceptions as determined by hospital leadership for patients receiving end of life care, rapid decline in condition, emergency care, behavioral health concerns, or other unique patient conditions
• Northside reserves the right to reduce visitation access at any time based on public health and safety concerns

Visitor Screening Guidelines and Requirements

Visitors will be required to:

• Wear a facemask/cloth face covering at all times while in the facility
• Perform frequent hand hygiene
• Remain in the patient's room or other designated area
• Comply with the guidelines or they will be asked to leave the facility

Visitors will be screened for symptoms of acute respiratory illness in accordance with the CDC guidelines before entering the facility: 

• Visitors with a positive screen will not be permitted to enter the facility
• Visitors with a negative screen will receive a colored armband each day. The band must be worn for the duration of each daily visit.

During this time, we encourage family members and friends to use alternative means to interact with loved ones via phone and video calls (FaceTime, Skype, etc.), social media and other tools. Scroll down for information about how to call or send mail to a patient at a Northside hospital.

Infection control and prevention measures are always a priority at Northside Hospital. Our Infection Control specialists and clinical leadership have a coordinated and comprehensive plan to handle infectious disease patients, adhering to the CDC’s recommendations and guidelines for prevention, surveillance and treatment. 

For more information about COVID-19, prevention and symptoms, please visit the following resources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the  Georgia Department of Public Health.

Calling a Patient

To give patients an opportunity to rest, patients cannot receive incoming calls between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.

Atlanta
For all patients, except the new Atlanta patient tower: call 404-459-1 + the patient’s room number.

For patients in the new Atlanta patient tower: call 404-780-patient's room number.

Cherokee
For all patients: call 770-224-1411 and follow automated instructions.

Forsyth
For all patients: call 770-844-4000, then enter 5 + patient’s room number.

Mail Delivery

Patient mail is delivered daily, Monday through Friday. Please be sure to include your return address.

Atlanta
Northside Hospital Atlanta
C/O Patient Name and Room Number (if known)
1000 Johnson Ferry Road
Atlanta, GA 30342

Cherokee
Northside Hospital Cherokee
C/O Patient Name and Room Number (if known)
450 Northside Cherokee Blvd.
Canton, GA 30115

Duluth
Northside Hospital Duluth
C/O Patient Name and Room Number (if known)
3620 Howell Ferry Road NW
Duluth, GA 30096

Forsyth
Northside Hospital Forsyth
C/O Patient Name and Room Number (if known)
1200 Northside Forsyth Drive
Cumming, GA 30041

Gwinnett
Northside Hospital Gwinnett
C/O Patient Name and Room Number (if known)
1000 Medical Center Blvd.
Lawrenceville, GA 30046