Visiting Salem Health's NICU

Please remember the NICU is a special place for newborns who need intensive medical attention. A newborn in the NICU is fragile and has little ability to fight infections, even the common cold.

While we encourage you to be involved in your baby’s care and visit as often as possible, please do not visit your baby if you, your family or any visitors feel ill and have been exposed to a communicable disease. Your baby’s nurse can update you on their progress in the meantime.

Call us at 503-814-3556 to speak with your baby’s nurse if you, your family or other visitors have any of the following symptoms:

Fever of 100.4 degrees or higher

Vomiting

Cough

Diarrhea

Runny nose

Skin rash

Sore throat

Open cold sore

You must be free of symptoms for 24 hours without using medicine before you can visit. We apologize for the inconvenience. If you have questions or concerns, please let your nurse, provider or neonatal nurse practitioner know. We ask all visitors to complete a health screening and to wash their hands when entering the NICU and before contact with your baby. Thank you for helping us keep newborns safe.

Visiting hours

Parents, guardians or direct caregivers are welcome in the NICU 24 hours a day. Other visitors are welcome any time, except during nurse shift changes between 7 to 8 a.m. and 7 to 8 p.m. To keep everyone safe, only four people, including parents, can be at the bedside. Sometimes, NICU leaders may limit visitor access to the unit because of the number of patients, the level of care needed or to prevent infections.

NICU visitor guidelines

As a NICU parent, guardian or direct caregiver please read our NICU visitor guidelines. We ask that you read, sign and actively follow the guidelines. If you expect to have family or friends visit, please share these guidelines with them. We want you and your baby to feel safe and comfortable during your stay with us. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask our NICU team.

Please note: Our visitor guidelines are subject to change based on the respiratory season and when illnesses are present in the community.

Items not allowed in the NICU

To protect patients, we do not allow these items in the NICU:

Stuffed animals in beds
Latex balloons (mylar balloons are acceptable)
Flowers and plants
Fleece items

Sibling visitation

Siblings may visit the NICU with parent supervision. Children who are not direct siblings of the patient, and are under the age of 18, are not permitted to visit the NICU.

Safety and security

Keeping your newborn safe is our top priority. Our NICU is locked 24 hours a day. Building D, where we are located, is locked from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. Parents and visitors need to enter through the Emergency Department between 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.