At Nicklaus Children's, we understand that a trip to the hospital can be an emotional experience for parents and their children. Being informed about what to expect during a hospital visit can help reduce stress for the patient and the entire family.
All visitors should follow the safety and visitation guidelines in order to ensure the safety and confidentiality of our patients.
General Hospital Visitation Hours:
9 a.m. - 9:30 p.m.
We continue to use protocols recommended by the Centers for Disease Control regarding the novel COVID-19 virus. Our priority, as always, is the health and safety of all our patients and visitors. Due to the current higher-than-usual rate of respiratory infections in our community, please note we are reinforcing changes to our visitor policy in all our care settings. We ask patient families to adhere to the following practices to ensure the safety of the children in our care.
Please read the protocols below prior to your visit
EXPAND TO READ ALL VISITATION PROTOCOLS
Safety Protocols for All Visits
- All parents/guardians accompanying children must be free of signs and symptoms of infectious disease, including cough, runny nose, rash, vomiting and fever. Please notify the medical provider caring for your child if you or anyone else in the home has a fever, cough, rash, shortness of breath, or any other sign of respiratory infection.
- Please remember to wash your hands or use alcohol gel frequently during your visit.
For Inpatient Visits
- Parents or guardians are welcome to be with hospitalized patients at all times. Family and friends are encouraged to visit between 9 a.m. and 9:30 p.m. The number of visitors should be limited to no more than four at a time in most units to enable patients to rest.
- During flu season, and when the incidence or respiratory illness in the community is high, visitors are restricted to parents, healthy siblings and other designated visitors.
- No one experiencing symptoms of illness should visit the hospital. Please check with your child's care unit for any special policies that may apply.
For Emergency Room, Urgent Care, Radiology and Diagnostic Services
- For the safety of all, we are limiting the number of people within exam spaces and in diagnostic areas.
- A maximum of two primary caregivers can accompany a patient for any of the above services.
- Additional family members may take turns within the exam room, but only two may be in the room at a time.
For Rehabilitation Services
- For the safety of all in our shared rehabilitation service gyms, we ask that only one primary caregiver accompany a patient to an appointment.
For Ambulatory Surgery Visits
- Only two visitors can accompany the patient. Only one of these is permitted at the bedside at a time, while the other waits in the waiting room. The two can alternate at the bedside. No one under the age of 18 is permitted.
For Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Visits
Due to this risk and the increase in upper respiratory infections in our community during the winter season, Nicklaus Children’s Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) has modified its visitation policy. During this time, November 1 through March 31, we ask that only parents/guardians and grandparents visit patients in the NICU.
- Please cooperate with unit screening procedures. A form may be filled out that helps screen for infectious diseases.
- Parents must wear visitor ID.
- Parents must be free of cold or “flu symptoms.”
- Visitors to the NICU are strongly encouraged to receive influenza vaccine.
- Please notify the nurse caring for your child if you or anyone else in the home has a fever, cough, or any other sign of infection.
- Remember to wash your hands or use alcohol gel frequently during your visit.
We apologize for the any inconvenience and thank you for partnering with us in providing your child the best possible care and protection.
General Guidelines for Visitors
Family Centered Care through visitation is promoted at Nicklaus Children's Hospital. Family members are partners in our mission to provide the best, safest care possible. Please follow these guidelines when planning to visit a hospitalized child:
- Parents, adult primary caregivers, grandparents, extended family, and friends are welcome to visit during general visitation hours.
- All visitors should be in good health and free from symptoms of contagious disease and known exposures (flu, chicken pox, etc).
- Intensive Care Units, Bone Marrow Transplant, Special Care Nurseries, Surgical Services and Psychiatry have more restrictive guidelines about visitation. Please notify the nurse for assistance on visitation requirements into these areas.
Guidelines for Children Visiting the Hospital
- Children under 12 years of age may visit given that they are under adult supervision at all times.
Patient Visitation Policy
Download the detailed guidelines and procedures regarding the Nicklaus Children's Hospital visitation policies. Last updated September 2023.
Download PDF
Equal Visitation
Nicklaus Children's Hospital is committed to provide visitation in accordance with our non-discrimination policy which provides access without regard to race, color, sex, national origin, disability, age, religion, marital status, citizenship, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, and/or other legally protected classification.
Fast-Pass Visitor Identification
All visitors to inpatient units and the Emergency Department at Nicklaus Children's Hospital – including parents, siblings, family and friends – must receive a Fast-Pass photo identification pass upon arrival, and wear the peel-and-stick pass throughout the visit.
What You'll Need
To obtain a Fast-Pass, visitors must present a current identification (driver's license, state ID, student ID, or passport) at any information desk entrance. Visitors to inpatient units should return their Fast-Pass to the location where they received it when departing the hospital.
- Inpatient Visits: The Fast-Pass is valid for a 24-hour period. Visitors to most inpatient units, including parents staying overnight, will need to obtain a new pass daily.
- Doctor and Outpatient Visits: A Fast-Pass identification is not needed for those visiting physician offices or outpatient services other than the Emergency Department.
- Visitor Limits: Staff issuing the Fast-Pass will receive an alert if the number of visitors to a patient room has exceeded hospital limits for the unit. For most units, no more than four visitors are allowed at one time. Families will have the option to have some visitors rotate out of the room to allow arriving visitors access.
Adaptive Care Program
For some children with behavioral or developmental needs, including many on the autism spectrum, a hospital visit can be challenging. At Nicklaus Children's Hospital, our inpatient Adaptive Care Program supports the needs of our neurodivergent population and other eligible children.
This inpatient program is offered to families of children over the age of 3 who have difficulty coping during hospitalization, or have sensory, behavioral, or communicative needs. If your child would benefit from the Adaptive Care Program, please contact AdaptiveCareTeam@nicklaushealth.org prior to an inpatient hospitalization, so our team can work with you to develop the best plan to support for child’s needs. Our Adaptive Care Patient Resources can also help you plan for a more comfortable experience for your child before, during, and after their hospital visit or stay.
The University of Miami-Nova Southeastern University Center for Autism and Related Disabilities (UM-NSU CARD), South Florida’s leading resource for autism support, recognizes Nicklaus Children’s Hospital as an Autism Friendly Partner.
Guest Parking
As you plan your visit to the hospital campus, we'd like to help you by providing suggested parking instructions. The hospital's My Nicklaus Children's app offers detailed instructions to our campus and detailed step by step directions once you have arrived and parked. We encourage you to download this app.
There are three separate garages on the hospital campus, each identified by a color, blue, green and yellow. Their use is entirely complimentary. Complimentary valet service is offered 24-hours a day at the entrance of the Central Building, near the Devonshire Boulevard entrance to the campus. Additional complimentary valet services are available during select hours in the blue and yellow garages. For more information visit our hospital parking page.
Campus Ride Sharing Stops
Designated stops are available for ride sharing and retail deliveries. See our map for more information on the stops in our campus.
Ride Sharing Stops
Patient and Guest Relations
Patient and Guest Relations representatives are available to assist patients and families by answering questions, explaining hospital policies, customer service and helping to resolve issues related to hospital services.
Representatives help families understand their rights and responsibilities and assist in the resolution of complaints, grievances, and treatment disagreements. They are also part of the multi-disciplinary team of care for patients and families and are available to work with families who express concerns about the hospital, its staff and its services.
To contact a Patient and Guest Relations representative, please call 786-624-4400.
Mask Wearing Requirements for all Nicklaus Children’s Facilities
As of August 1, 2023, masks are required only in certain circumstances. Examples include persons exhibiting signs or symptoms of an infectious disease, in areas of the facility that are designated sterile, or if the applicable person will be around an immunocompromised patient. This policy applies to all Nicklaus Children's staff members, patients, and visitors two years of age and older. Patients and visitors can contact the patient’s healthcare team (e.g., the treating provider’s office or inpatient unit) and staff members can contact the Infection Prevention and Control Department at ext. 2399.
For More Information