The new Main Entrance at UHS Chenango Memorial Hospital. (Submitted photo)

NORWICH – With the opening of its new Main Entrance, UHS Chenango Memorial Hospital will implement a new visitor management system starting Monday.

“This new system will ensure patient, visitor and staff safety as well as provide enhanced patient privacy, and help us assist guests in getting where they want to go,” said Hans Franklin, Service Line Manager of Support Services and Logistics at UHS Chenango Memorial Hospital.

According to Franklin, the latter will be even more important as Phase 1 of the Chenango Medical Neighborhood Project nears completion.

“We’re still a couple of months away from the grand opening of our new Emergency Department and Walk-In Center, but already many things on campus have changed,” he explained.

The new visitor management system will go into effect at UHS Chenango Memorial on Monday, October 18. After that date, all visitors will be required to show a driver’s license or other government-issued identification upon entering the facility.

“Once the ID is validated, the person will be given a temporary visitor pass to wear while on premises,” Franklin said.

Anyone without an ID will have their photo taken and information collected by hospital staff so that a visitor pass may be issued.

According to Franklin, the program will apply to all visitors, including patients, vendors, and any other non-staff guests.

While the new visitor management system does represent a change in procedure at the Norwich hospital, Franklin said similar systems are commonplace at many healthcare facilities, including Chenango Memorial’s sister hospitals throughout the UHS system.

“Since the start of the pandemic, we’ve had screeners at each of our entrances. This will formalize and streamline that process, making it easier for patients and visitors,” he said. “We know that any change in process takes time to get used to, so we’ll have staff and volunteers present at the Main Entrance to assist patients and visitors in both navigating the new process and getting to their desired location.”

Patients or visitors with questions or concerns regarding the new visitor management system may contact the UHS Chenango Memorial Hospital Security Department at (607) 337-4323.

UHS Chenango Memorial Hospital is a member of United Health Services, a locally owned not-for-profit 916-bed hospital and health care system serving the Greater Binghamton region from more than 40 locations around New York’s Southern Tier.

– UHS Chenango Memorial Hospital