General Hospital Visitation Hours:
8 a.m. - 8 p.m.
At Nicklaus Children's at Coral Springs, 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 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.
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
Safety Protocols for All Visits
Safety Protocols for All Visits (Infection Prevention and Control)
- Visitors may be screened for their potential for transmission of communicable disease, and if potentially infected, be restricted from contact with the general hospital environment. If it is necessary for a sick visitor to remain with the patient, the visitor will be instructed to remain in the patient’s room for the entirety of the stay and will be instructed on infection prevention and control protocols. The visitor may be asked to use a hospital escort if they must leave the room during the patient’s stay.
- Visitors will be asked to comply with all applicable personal protective equipment (PPE) requirements and infection prevention and control protocols as set forth by hospital policy.
- Patients who are on airborne or enhanced respiratory precautions are limited to one designated visitor.
- Visitation hours and restrictions to the number of visitors for a patient per day or at one time may be implemented by the hospital due to outbreaks of communicable disease in the hospital or the community.
- Visitors under 12 years of age are discouraged from visiting a patient in an isolation room.
- Visitors are asked to follow a respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette:
- Cover mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing.
- Dispose of used tissues in the nearest waste receptacle after use.
- Perform hand hygiene after contact with respiratory secretions and contaminated objects/materials.
- Stay three feet away from others and wear a face mask when the visitor has respiratory symptoms or suspects a respiratory infection.
Access to the Pediatric Unit
Access to the Pediatric Unit
- All adult visitors must identify themselves, be wearing a pink visitor’s badge and provide valid ID at the security entrance to the locked unit and state which patient they are requesting to visit.
- Patients who are under “Baker Act” or determined to be a “flight risk” will have visitors limited to family members.
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Visitation
- Partners in care are able to be at the bedside 24 hours a day.
- Parents/legal guardians or a designee may stay with the patient overnight in a private room.
- A pullout bed or chair will be provided for visitor use in the patient’s room.
- Partners in care are required to notify staff when they are leaving the patient’s room.
- Family members or partners in care must be accompanied by a parent/legal guardian or designee unless specific arrangements have been made by the parents.
- All partners in care will scrub in upon entry to the unit after removing hand and wrist jewelry.
- All family members/visitors must be signed in and out of the visitation log in the unit.
- Staff will verify the location of the patient to be visited and confirm visitation authorization prior to admitting the visitor.
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Sibling Visitation
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Sibling Visitation
- Many children benefit from visits to the nursery to see their brother or sister. Communication and coordination between staff and family are necessary to promote successful sibling visitation. Children must be prepared, according to their age and development, for what they will see, hear, and feel in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Visits should be held at a quiet time in the nursery when a care provider is able to stay with the family.
- Visitors under age 14 are not permitted unless they are siblings of the patient.
- Siblings less than 5 years old are not permitted in the NICU.
- Siblings 5 years old or older are permitted to visit with a parent. If the visit becomes disruptive to any baby or family in the unit, you may be asked to limit your child’s visitation for the health and safety of all of our patients.
- Siblings entering the unit will be examined for signs and symptoms of communicable diseases before visiting. These include, but are not limited to, fever, rash, history of chicken pox within the past four weeks, and respiratory infections.
- Parent(s) are to notify the nurse and the child assessed before entering the unit at every visit. It will be at the discretion of the nurse to permit Sibling visitation after the child is examined.
- If the parent plans to hold or feed the patient, the parent must bring another adult to supervise the visiting child. Children may not be left unattended in the waiting room or in the hospital hallway. A parent/legal guardian or designee must remain with the visiting child at all times.
Pediatric Hematology/Oncology and Pediatric Intensive Care Visitation
Pediatric Hematology/Oncology and Pediatric Intensive Care Visitation
- Visitors are able to be at the bedside 24 hours a day.
- Parents/legal guardians or a designee may stay with the patient overnight in a private room.
- A pullout bed or chair will be provided for Visitor use in the patient's room.
- Visitors are required to notify staff when they are leaving the patient's room.
- Children visitation hours are 24 hours a day if accompanied by a parent/legal guardian.
- An adult (for supervision) must accompany visiting children.
- Visiting children must not be left unattended at any time.
- Visiting children are not permitted when the patient is on airborne isolation.
- Well visiting children may participate in playroom or teen room activities accompanied by an adult, Child Life, or Volunteer supervision.
- Visiting children may be restricted during periods of high-risk communicable disease activity (i.e. influenza season, outbreaks or clusters of epidemiological important organisms)
We apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for partnering with us in providing your child the best possible care and protection.
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.
Tobacco-Free Campus
To protect the children in our care, we are a tobacco-free campus, and smoking is not permitted anywhere on hospital grounds. If you would like help with smoking cessation products, such as Nicoderm gum during your stay, please let your nurse know.
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
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.