In-person Visits and Safety

Only one parent or caregiver may be with a patient at any time. Provisions will be made for individuals with disabilities requiring additional people to accompany them to Kennedy Krieger, or to visit or stay with them in the Institute’s inpatient hospital. For individuals requiring additional support people to accompany them at Kennedy Krieger, this request should be made in advance.

A support person¹ is defined as a family member, personal care assistant, similar disability service provider, or other individual knowledgeable about the management or care of the patient who is authorized to assist the patient in making decisions. 

Please make this request through the Care Management staff when the appointment or inpatient admission is scheduled. 

If you have any questions, please contact the director of Guest Relations at GuestRelations@KennedyKrieger.org or 443-923-2640.

Click on each section below to learn about our visitation and rooming-in guidelines.

In order to protect our patients, we are implementing the following changes to our visitation policy, effective at 12:00 pm on Monday, November 23, 2020:

• Only two parents or caregivers are permitted per child for the duration of the admission; and only one may visit at any time.
• Parents/caregivers cannot switch out more often than every 14 days in order to minimize community exposures to our patients.
• Parent/caregiver switches must occur outside of the building or in front of the lobby level security desk.
• Each time a parent/caregiver returns to KKI, they are subject to the same entry screening as our employees.  If you are sick, you will not be permitted to visit.
• We strongly discourage the visiting parent/caregiver from leaving aside from essential activities (work, medical appointments, food) and expect all parents and caregivers to practice safe social distancing measures while they are out of the building.
• If you think you may have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 at any time during your child’s admission, please contact the Charge RN at 443-923-9433 and follow their instructions.

If the parent/caregiver/support person thinks they have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 or has symptoms of COVID-19 at any time during their child’s admission, they should contact the charge nurse at 443-923-9433.

1A support person is defined as a family member, personal care assistant, similar disability service provider, or other individual knowledgeable about the management or care of the patient who is authorized to assist the patient in making decision.

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

•  Only two identified support persons1 are permitted to have scheduled visits. Ideal visiting times will be coordinated with your child's care team.
• Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, all visitors, including parent/caregiver/support person, must have a negative COVID-19 PCR test within 48 hours of visiting.  Visitors who leave the state of Maryland and travel to any state with the exception of Virginia and Washington, D.C. after this negative COVID-19 PCR test, must have another negative COVID-19 PCR test before visiting again.
• Each time a parent/caregiver/support person returns to Kennedy Krieger, they are subject to COVID-19 symptom screening.  If a parent or caregiver or support person is sick, they should not visit.  If it is determined that the parent/caregiver/support person has symptoms that are being screened (e.g. fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, chills, diarrhea, loss of sense of taste or smell), they will not be allowed to visit.
• Parent/caregiver/support person must wear a mask at all times while in the building and garage. Click here for the Kennedy Krieger masking policy.
• Siblings and visitors under 18 years of age are not permitted to visit at this time.

We encourage you to stay in touch by phone, laptop, tablet and video visits. Please ask your child's treatment team for ideal remote or phone call visiting times.

• Accommodations to support parent/caregiver/support persons include Zoom visits allowing you to see and interact with your child. In addition, phone calls can be scheduled daily to speak with your child.  Finally, the treatment team is in regular contact by phone with parent/caregiver/support persons to discuss their child's progress.
• Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, parent/caregiver/support person education and discharge training will be conducted by either remotely or in-person, and will be coordinated by your child's primary behavior therapist.
• All scheduled visitors, including parent/caregiver/support person, must have a negative COVID-19 PCR test within 48 hours of visiting.  This includes visits for training. Visitors who leave the state of Maryland and travel to any state with the exception of Virginia and Washington, D.C. after this negative COVID-19 PCR test, must have another negative COVID-19 PCR test before visiting again.
• All scheduled visitors must follow proper infection prevention practices - including masking, hand washing/sanitizing and social distancing. Visitors, including parent/caregiver/support person, who have symptoms of illness will not be permitted in the hospital.
• Parent/caregiver/support person are notified of this visitation policy before their child’s admission to the unit and must agree to these conditions before their child may be admitted.

1A support person is defined as a family member, personal care assistant, similar disability service provider, or other individual knowledgeable about the management or care of the patient who is authorized to assist the patient in making decision.

Only one support person¹ is allowed to accompany each patient.

• Support people under the age of 18 are not allowed.
• Everyone coming to the Institute will be screened upon entry and will be required to wear a mask. 

All patients and accompanying support people must wear face coverings, with the following exceptions: Face masks and cloth face coverings should not be placed on young children under age 2, on anyone who has trouble breathing, or on anyone who is otherwise unable to remove the mask without assistance.

All support people shall be subject to screening for COVID-19 symptoms upon arrival at the hospital and periodically during their stay.

Anyone with COVID-19 symptoms will not be permitted to serve as a support person and must immediately leave the hospital. 

All support people shall comply with hospital policies regarding the use and conservation of personal protective equipment, including universal masking. 

No children under age 18 are allowed, unless they are patients.

¹A support person is defined as a family member, personal care assistant, similar disability service provider, or other individual knowledgeable about the management or care of the patient who is authorized to assist the patient in making decision.

Outpatient Visitation Policy (pdf)