In-person Visits and Safety

Patients and visitors with any respiratory symptoms, including congestion/runny nose, must mask while in any Kennedy Krieger building or reschedule their appointment.

• All patients and visitors must be free from vomiting, diarrhea, and fever (without the use of fever reducing medications) for at least 24 hours to attend their appointment. If it has not been at least 24 hours, the appointment must be rescheduled.
• It will be at the discretion of the clinician to determine if a patient is able to continue with their appointment if patients arrive with symptoms (unless vomiting, diarrhea, and fever have been present in the last 24 hours).
• If possible, siblings should remain home and not attend appointments with the patient during peak Respiratory Virus Season (RVS).
• Children with signs and symptoms of illness will not be allowed in the playrooms.

If you have questions, please call the office of Patient and Community Engagement at 443-923-2640.

In order to protect our patients, we are implementing the following changes to our visitation policy, effective December 20, 2024.

We know it can be stressful for parents when their child is staying in a hospital. We hope the following guidelines will decrease some of that stress. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask your child’s registered nurse or charge nurse. Thank you!

1. To ensure our patients can be identified at all times, each patient will wear an ID wristband while at Kennedy Krieger Institute.
2. Please leave expensive items or items of sentimental value at home. There is an ATM available in the lobby, so please avoid bringing large sums of cash. We cannot be held responsible for any lost, damaged or stolen items.
3. Please label your child’s clothing and other personal items with a permanent marker. This helps our staff members keep your child’s clothes together. We encourage families to do their child’s laundry in the laundry room located near the lobby. Just ask a nursing staff member for detergent, and in the lobby, ask a security officer for the key to the laundry room.
4. Each patient’s room has a phone jack. Please ask a member of the nursing staff if a phone is needed.
5. Each patient has their own television with cable access. Please turn off all lights and televisions by 10:00 p.m.
6. Bedtimes at our hospital range from 8 to 10 p.m., depending on the patient’s age. Our nurses wake patients up between 5 and 6:30 a.m. to give everyone enough time to be ready for breakfast at 7:30 a.m. If you are rooming-in with your child, our nurses will assume you will be participating in your child’s care. Please have your child ready for breakfast by 7:30 a.m.
7. Parents are welcome to room-in (i.e., stay with their child 24 hours a day and sleep in a chair bed). Due to limited space, only one parent per patient may visit after 10 p.m. and room-in. The parent rooming-in must be in their child’s room by 10 p.m. so as not to disrupt their child’s sleep. A chair bed and linens will be provided; we ask that the chair bed be re-assembled by 9 a.m. Because of safety considerations, parents may not sleep, co-sleep or sit on their child’s hospital bed, and patients may not sleep in chair beds. Please be considerate of your child’s roommate when rooming-in. Contact the charge nurse for resolution of any roommate and/or visiting issues.

Visitors

1. Two visitors per patient may visit the inpatient unit during routine visiting hours, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. On Saturday and Sunday, three visitors per patient may visit from 12:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. This includes parents and/or legal guardians.
2. Siblings and visitors under 18 years of age are welcome to visit if they are always accompanied by a responsible adult or guardian.
3. During respiratory virus season (October 15 – May 15) children 12 years of age and younger may not visit the Recreation Room, therapy areas, or any patient therapy shared areas.
4. We encourage you to stay in touch by phone, laptop, tablet, and video visits. Please ask the Child Life and Therapeutic Recreation Therapies Department staff if you need assistance or a loaner tablet.
5. All visitors, including parents/legal guardians, must be symptom free before visiting and follow proper infection prevention practices – including hand washing/sanitizing, and social distancing. Visitors, including parents/legal guardians, who have symptoms of illness (fever, diarrhea, vomiting, severe respiratory symptoms, and/or confirmed communicable illness), will be asked to leave. The inpatient visitor policy does not allow sick visitors, including parents/legal guardians, to stay with patients. To decrease infection risk, frequent entry and exit from the hospital while visiting is discouraged.

Parent Lounge

1. Our Parent Lounge is located on the third floor and is reserved for parents, legal guardians and caregivers only. Patients and siblings are not permitted in the lounge. The lounge has a microwave oven, ice machine, refrigerator and computer, and bathrooms and showers are available. For more information on using the lounge, please refer to the guidelines posted in the lounge.
2. Parents and guests may access our wireless network by simply agreeing to the terms of use. A guest account is not required, and you do not need to log into the network.
3. At our hospital, your child’s room is their home away from home. Cards and pictures are welcome! Please place them on the dry-erase board or use Sticky Tack to hang them on the walls.
4. While we encourage parents and other caregivers to bring in some personal items to aid in the patient’s healthcare journey, we must keep the environment safe as well. Patients’ rooms should be kept free of clutter, especially on floors and walkways, where clutter poses an increased fall risk for patients, visitors and staff members.
5. Our nurses will be happy to get any supplies (e.g., diapers, wipes, bottles, etc.) you may need for your child. Please ask your child’s registered nurse or nurse technician for whatever you might need.
6. All medical and electrical appliances brought from home must be approved. Please let the nurse admitting your child know of any medical and/or electrical appliances you wish to use during your child’s hospital stay. Appliances that may not be brought or used in the hospital include curling irons, flat irons, heating pads, coffee pots, blenders, hot plates, irons, humidifiers, fans with blades, lights, salt lamps, toasters, essential oils and infusers.
7. Because of safety concerns, we do not allow glass or ceramic figurines, vases, mugs, statues, etc. in the hospital. Flowers and plants in plastic containers or vases are allowed, but nurses may prohibit any flowers or plants that are not safe for children.
8. Registered nurses will administer medications, treatments and feedings as close to the scheduled times as possible. According to Maryland Board of Nursing policy, registered nurses have an hour before and after the scheduled time to give medications, treatments and feedings.
9. Our Pediatric Pain Rehabilitation Program is available to all our patients experiencing chronic pain. Talk with your child’s registered nurse for more information about the program.
10. You and your child and family are welcome to express spiritual beliefs and cultural practices if they do not harm others or interfere with treatment. Please let your child’s social worker or registered nurse know if you would like a visit from a clergy member or lay person from your religious tradition.
11. Kennedy Krieger is committed to providing a safe and secure environment for patients and their families. Please notify our security officers at the 707 North Broadway Security Desk before walking to our Therapy Garden or parking garage to ensure someone is available to provide you access to these locations. Parking tickets expire every day at midnight and might not provide parking garage access.
12. Kennedy Krieger is committed to providing a safe and therapeutic environment for our patients, families and employees. Behaviors that undermine a culture of safety by any individual are contrary to that environment and will not be tolerated. Such behaviors include causing or attempting to cause physical harm to another; acting in an aggressive, hostile or menacing manner that creates a reasonable fear of injury in another person or subjects that person to emotional distress; making verbal threats; possession of a dangerous weapon (e.g., handguns, pocket knives, mace, pepper spray) while on Institute property; intentionally damaging Institute property or the property of an employee or patient; vulgar and/or obscene conduct; throwing objects; slamming doors or objects; use of alcohol or drugs; use of tobacco or electronic cigarettes; and excessive noise or loudness. Any parents or visitors displaying these or other behaviors that undermine a culture of safety may be escorted off of Kennedy Krieger property by an Institute security official and will not be allowed to re-enter until Kennedy Krieger management has had an opportunity to investigate the allegation.

Contacts

Rehabilitation and Feeding Disorders Nursing Unit: 443-923-9433

Patient and Family Experience Manager: 443-923-3804 

Patient Experience and Community Engagement (patient advocate/ombudsman): 443-923-2640 or PatientExperience@KennedyKrieger.org

The unique clinical setting of the Neurobehavioral Unit (NBU), coupled with shared patient rooms and common therapy areas, does not allow for parent/caregiver rooming-in.  Admission to the NBU is elective and we encourage parents/caregivers to reach out to their admissions coordinator if this limitation is a hardship.

• Only two visitors at a time may visit on the unit.
  • In-person visits will be coordinated with your child’s primary behavior therapist to ensure your child attends all scheduled therapy sessions.
  • Parent/caregiver education and discharge training will be conducted either remotely or in-person and coordinated by your child’s primary behavior therapist.
  • Your child’s primary behavior therapist will help you stay in touch by phone, laptop, tablet and video visits. In addition, phone calls can be scheduled daily to speak with your child. Finally, therapists are in regular (i.e., at least weekly) contact by phone with parents and caregivers to discuss their child’s progress. Please ask your child’s primary behavior therapist for ideal remote or phone call visiting times.
• All visitors, including parents, must be symptoms free before visiting our hospital and follow proper infection prevention practices – including hand washing/sanitizing. Visitors, including parents, who have symptoms of illness will not be permitted in the hospital..

Patients and visitors with any respiratory symptoms, including congestion/runny nose, must mask while in any Kennedy Krieger building or reschedule their appointment.

• All patients and visitors must be free from vomiting, diarrhea, and fever (without the use of fever reducing medications) for at least 24 hours to attend their appointment. If it has not been at least 24 hours, the appointment must be rescheduled.
• It will be at the discretion of the clinician to determine if a patient is able to continue with their appointment if patients arrive with symptoms (unless vomiting, diarrhea, and fever have been present in the last 24 hours).
• If possible, siblings should remain home and not attend appointments with the patient during peak Respiratory Virus Season (RVS).
• Children with signs and symptoms of illness will not be allowed in the playrooms.

If you have questions, please call the office of Patient and Community Engagement at 443-923-2640.

Outpatient Visitation Policy (pdf)