Salem Hospital's pet-visitation policy changes effective August 1 and will no longer allow pets in Salem Hospital campus buildings, with the exception of service animals, certified therapy pets, and pets visiting under special circumstances. The policy applies to all Salem Hospital locations on Oak and Winter Streets Southeast.
 

"While we understand the strong bonds between our patients and their pets, people expect their hospitals to be safe, healthy and as infection-free as possible," said Cheryl Nester Wolfe, RN, chief operating officer at Salem Health. "The new policy clarifies expectations for visitors, patients and staff to follow, while still being sensitive to the positive influence pets can have on healing and recovery."
 

The new policy is consistent with animal visitation standards from the centers for Disease Control and Prevention and was created to provide better safety standards and guidance when pet visits are allowed.
 

The change began with the Salem Health Employee Council looking at pet visitation in response to their concerns about personal safety of staff and visitors and the potential for infections. The council also noted the need for stronger protection for those with allergies or respiratory problems.
 

The Employee Council worked with the hospital's infection prevention department to explore best practices and evidence-based solutions. Finding no common standards in Oregon, the group worked with nursing managers to create the hospital's own policy, based on "pets in hospitals" standards from the CDC, and taking special circumstances into consideration.
 

The new policy allows exceptions to accommodate the therapeutic role certain pets provide in the healing and recovery process:
 

*     Service animals that perform tasks for people with disabilities as established by the Americans with Disabilities Act. These include dogs and miniature horses.
 

*     Therapy pets (dogs only) and handlers who have been AAT (Animal Assisted Therapy) certified and who are visiting as part of the patient's care plan. The current teams of certified therapy pets/handlers working through the hospital's volunteer department are not affected by this change.
 

*     Authorized pet visits approved under special circumstances by nursing managers.
 

"We continually strive to improve the health and safety for everyone--patients, visitors, public and staff--and this new policy is part of that effort," said Wolfe.
 

Salem Hospital is part of Salem Health, along with West Valley Hospital, Willamette Health Partners and other affiliated health care organizations offering exceptional care to people in and around Oregon's mid-Willamette Valley. Visit us at salemhealth.org and facebook.com/salemhospital; follow us on Twitter: @salemhealth; and view us at youtube.com/user/salemhealth.