Visiting Hours

Hospital visiting hours are from 11 a.m.-8 p.m. If you do not wish to have visitors, please notify your nurse. Visitors are asked to check in at the nurses’ station before going into a patient’s room. The following units have specific visiting hours:

Family Centered Care - Birthing

To help ensure the safety and security of infants and to lessen the chance of a baby contracting a serious infection, a restricted visiting policy is enforced on our maternity floor. To encourage family involvement, grandparents, siblings and fathers may visit with the infant in the mother’s room during normal visiting hours. Others may visit with the mother in the visitor’s lounge and see the baby from the nursery windows. We know family and friends are eager to share in your new joy. Our policy is for the safety and health of the new babies.

Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU)

Visiting hours in SICU are for 15 minutes at 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 5 p.m., 6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. From 12-4 p.m. and during the night, you may visit with the consent of the nurse. Only immediate family members may visit SICU patients, and children must be over age 14. SICU visiting hours may need to be adjusted because of the patient’s needs or the unit’s concerns.

Progressive Care Unit (PCU)

Immediate family members may visit PCU patients any time except 7-9 a.m. and 7-9 p.m.

Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit (CVICU)

Immediate family and the patient’s significant other may visit for 15 minutes at 9 and 11 a.m., and 5, 6:30 and 9 p.m. During the night, visiting hours are unstructured. You may contact the nurse on duty from the phone in the hallway if you would like to visit. We provide extended visiting hours between 12 and 4 p.m. Visitors are welcome, but only two at a time are allowed in the room. Others are asked to wait in the lounge. Visitors are limited to immediate family members. Children under the age of 14 must have their visits prearranged with the CVICU staff and must be supervised by an adult.

Waiting Areas

Specially designated lounge areas for visitors are available on each patient floor and in the Main Lobby. Specific waiting areas have also been designated for the families of patients near the Intensive Care Units (Parkview 7), Emergency Department (Main Level) and Surgery (Parkview North 2). During certain hours, a volunteer is on duty in the Surgical Waiting Room to keep family members informed about the surgery’s progress. Please do not leave personal items unattended in the waiting rooms.

Condition Reports

Any personal information about your diagnosis and treatment must come from your doctor. This information is available to you and members of your immediate family whom you designate to receive it. However, other family members and your friends may call our patient information line, (217) 383-4602, and receive a one-word condition report. The following definitions are used to describe the medical condition of a patient.

  • Good: Vital signs are stable and within normal limits. Patient is conscious and comfortable. Outlook for recovery is good to excellent.
  • Fair: Vital signs are stable and within normal limits. Patient is conscious; patient is uncomfortable or may have minor complications. Favorable outlook.
  • Serious: Acutely ill with questionable outlook. Vital signs may be unstable or not within normal limits. A chance for improved diagnosis.
  • Critical: Questionable outlook. Vital signs are unstable or not within normal limits. There are major complications; death may be imminent.

Because of confidentiality, any other information must come from you or a member of your immediate family.

Visiting Tips

  • Carle is a smoke-free environment. Smoking is not permitted in any Carle facility or on any Carle grounds.
  • Visitors in semi-private rooms should be considerate of both patients.
  • Visits should be kept short.
  • People with colds, sore throats or any contagious diseases should not visit patients.
  • Visitors may be asked to leave the room during tests or treatments, or when the doctor or nurse needs to care for the patient.
  • We recommend that patients have no more than two visitors at a time.

Out of Town Visitors

Accommodations for relatives and visitors from out-of-town are available at nearby motels. Security escorts are available to escort you to nearby motels. A list of area motels is available at the Orchard Street Information Desk in the Main Lobby. The Carle Foundation Hospital Auxiliary Guest House is also available for out-of-town families of critically ill patients.  Please see your nurse for more information.