Please note we are a tobacco-free and fragrance-free campus. Thank you for not smoking or wearing heavily scented products.
Visiting Hours
- 4:00pm – 8:00pm Monday through Friday
- 12:00noon – 8:00pm Weekends and Holidays
Visitor Rules and Guidelines
Please follow the Visitors' Guidelines to protect the safety, rights and privacy of visitors and patients alike. Because this is a hospital, appropriate behavior is expected. Please be aware that if staff feels these expectations are not being met, you will be asked to leave.
Arriving at RPC
Upon arrival to Riverview Psychiatric Center (RPC), all visitors must sign-in at the reception area (located at main entrance) and indicate whom they intend to visit on the unit. Positive identification shall be required of all visitors upon each visit at the discretion of the receptionist or security officer.
Any visitor who attempts to gain access to a unit without proper identification shall be directed to the lobby/reception area to follow established check-in procedures.
Check-in Procedures
Visitors will be given a visitor's pass which should be displayed on their person while at the hospital and must be turned in upon leaving.
All visitors to patient areas will be required to check their bag(s) at the reception area and will be allowed to only bring items into the hospital that are relevant to their visit. For safety and security reasons, bags will be searched at the discretion of hospital and/or security staff. Locker space will be available to visitors to store items not entering the hospital.
Families may only bring in food items on designated holidays, to include Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, and the client’s birthday (exceptions may be made by the treatment team for other holidays/religious observances). All items brought into the hospital must be factory sealed for safety purposes.
The receptionist or security officer shall contact the unit to inform staff that a visitor is present so that unit staff can discuss the visit with the patient. Should a patient be unable or unwilling to see a visitor, a member of the treatment team shall inform the visitor of the refusal and answer questions as appropriate.
The receptionist or security officer shall document all visits in the visitors' log.
Visits are typically restricted to one hour per visit, but may be extended with consideration of space and unit staff discretion.
Hospital Security
In order to assure the well-being of the patients, restrictions may be implemented by treatment teams and/or charge nurses.
- Visitors will be escorted to the visitor’s room by security. Nursing staff will provide the visitors with pertinent information regarding unit rules.
- All items brought in by visitors for patients will be screened by security for contraband and approved by the unit staff before being given to patients.
- Should any of the items be identified as contraband (i.e. dangerous to patients or reduce patient safety within the unit environment) the security staff or unit charge nurse shall assure disposition of the item.
- Items that appear to be alcoholic beverages or illegal substances, will be removed by Security.
Conduct
Security shall be notified immediately of any conduct problems associated with the behavior of any visitor and if necessary, shall escort the visitor off hospital premises.
Access to patient living areas and to patients by media and hospital visitors
A person requesting access to a patient living area for the purposes other than visiting a patient must have permission from Riverview's Superintendent Office. The justification for this process is patient confidentiality.
Patients are informed in advance that a hospital visitor and/or member of the media will be visiting within the patients' unit/living area to allow patients enough time to go to the privacy of their individual rooms.
No photographs or names of patients may be used without written permission from the patient. If the patient is not capable of making this decision, it must be made by a legal representative.
Prohibited items
Prohibited items include but are not limited to: Cigarettes and smoking materials, matches and lighters, canned soda, items containing caffeine, alcohol, illicit drugs, glass of any kind, knives and other objects with sharp edges, other weapons and dangerous materials including flammable liquids, cleaning agents, and explosives. Do not give patients any over the counter drugs such as Tylenol or Aspirin as they can interfere with prescription meds.