Essentia opens up visiting hours

Hospital visitors to Essentia Health won’t be faced with limits on visiting hours any longer. Saying it wanted “to acknowledge the vital role that family and other support persons play in the care and well-being of our patients,” the Duluth-based hospital announced its decision Tuesday.

“We no longer will enforce limits on the number of visitors in most hospital inpatient units, nor will there be set visitor hours in our hospitals,” a statement said. “We will encourage care teams to make decisions based on their patients’ needs or current circumstances.”

Essentia Health is on the verge of opening a newly constructed hospital in Duluth, and emerging from coronavirus pandemic protocols that put stricter limits on visitors.