Dear Families and Visitors

Barlow Respiratory Hospital has been notified by the California Department of Public Health that, effective August 11, 2021, all visitors must show proof of vaccination with the date of the last dose administered or documentation of a negative SARS-CoV-2 test within 72 hours to enter the hospital.

Please know that we take our duty of preventing infection very seriously. We are required to follow this directive and to maintain documentation for future inspection by regulatory agencies. Starting Wednesday, August 11, 2021, we will check for proof of vaccination or negative test result (see page 2 for a detailed list of criteria) and will be forced to deny entry to any who cannot provide appropriate documented proof.

Our Barlow Respiratory Hospital teams follow strict safety and infection prevention precautions including masking, hand hygiene and social distance. These precautions protect each and every patient in our care. We will comply with and enforce all safety precautions and proof of vaccination / negative test result order without exception. We apologize for any inconvenience.

At Barlow Respiratory Hospital, our mission is to make a difference in the lives of our patients. We thank you for your cooperation and thank our patient families for trusting Barlow Respiratory Hospital with the care of your loved one.

Thank you,

Amit Mohan, PhD, FACHE, FACMPE
President & Chief Executive Officer
Barlow Respiratory Hospital

The Order applies only to indoor visitation in facilities identified in this Order. Indoor visitation shall be permitted only in accordance with this Order.

A. The facilities identified in this Order must either: (1) verify visitors are fully vaccinated, or

(2) for unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated visitors, verify documentation of a negative SARS-CoV-2 test.

B. Pursuant to the CDPH Guidance for Vaccine Records Guidelines & Standards,

Only the following modes may be used as proof of vaccination:

1. COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card (issued by the Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control & Prevention or WHO Yellow Card) which includes name of person vaccinated, type of vaccine provided, and date last dose administered); OR

2. a photo of a Vaccination Record Card as a separate document; OR

3. a photo of the client's Vaccination Record Card stored on a phone or electronic device, OR

4. documentation of COVID-19 vaccination from a health care provider; OR

5. digital record that includes a QR code that when scanned by a SMART Health Card reader displays to the reader client name, date of birth, vaccine dates and vaccine type.

In the absence of knowledge to the contrary, a facility may accept the documentation presented as valid.

C. Unvaccinated or partially vaccinated visitors are eligible for indoor visits only if they can show documentation of a negative SARS-CoV-2 test where the specimen collection occurred within 72 hours before each visit and for which the test results are available at the time of entry to the facility. Visitors may use either PCR testing or antigen testing. Any PCR or antigen test used must either have Emergency Use Authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or be operating per the Laboratory Developed Test requirements by the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

D. Facilities must have a plan in place for tracking verified visitor vaccination status or documentation of a negative SARS-CoV-2 test. Records of vaccination verification or documentation of a negative SARS-CoV-2 test must be made available, upon request, to the local health jurisdiction for purposes of case investigation.

E. Facilities can offer to conduct onsite testing of visitors if practical per facility testing capacity but are not required to do so.

F. Visitors who are visiting a patient in critical condition, when death may be imminent, are exempt from the vaccination and testing requirements of this Order. For such persons, the requirements below will still apply.

G. These conditions do not apply to visitors seeking only outdoor visits that will not require entering the facility

Mask, personal protective equipment, and physical distancing requirements:

All visitors, regardless of vaccination status or test result, must:

A. wear a well-fitting face mask (a surgical mask or double masking is recommended) upon entry and at all times within the facility;

B. wear any other personal protective equipment (PPE) while in the patient's room that facility personnel deem appropriate to the situation; and

C. physically distance from health care personnel and other patients/residents/visitors that are not part of their group at all times while in the facility.