The following restrictions have been put into place until further notice:

Visitors will not be permitted at any of our facilities, with the following exceptions:

• For critically ill/end-of-life patients—the number of visitors will be managed by the care team.
• Our pediatric population may have one visitor. Our NICU population may have two parent visitors. While in Labor and Delivery, patients can have one partner and one doula, if needed. Patients in the Mother Baby Unit may have one partner.
• Essential caregiver support for procedures and services—to be approved by the care team.

Visitors transporting patients to and from their appointments are asked to wait in their cars.  Staff will communicate with the patient’s companion via a call or text during the procedure and to notify them when to pick up the patient.

Universal Masking Requirement

To keep our employees, patients and community safe, we have implemented universal masking on the hospital campus and all outpatient care centers until further notice.

All are required to wear a mask when entering the hospital and outpatient care facilities and throughout their stay.

Screening

All patients and visitors will be temperature checked and asked screening questions upon entering the hospital and outpatient care centers.

COVID-19 Testing

Patients that are scheduled to undergo certain elective procedures in an operational or procedure area may require a COVID-19 negative test per the requirements from the IDPH. If indicated, you will be informed at the time of scheduling and it will need to be performed within three days of your procedure. Those patients will be directed to a facility parking lot and wait in the queue to drive through and receive a test. After the test, you will be required to self-isolate at home until the time of your procedure.

Hospital Entrance Hours:

• Main Entrance #4 – Weekdays: 7:00 am–8:00 pm, Weekends: 8:00 am–8:00 pm
• North Entrance #2 – Closed
• Busse Entrance #1 – Weekdays: 5:00 am–8:00 pm, Weekends: 5:30 am–5:00 pm
• Valet parking is temporarily unavailable

Please use the Emergency Entrance after hours.

In the interest of public safety, we have temporarily closed or suspended the following:

Due to COVID-19, all NCH Medical Group offices now close at 5 pm Monday through Friday, until further notice. Patients are encouraged to call prior to a walk-in visit. To minimize unnecessary exposure—and follow the guidelines of social distancing—most existing appointments can be converted to virtual visits. We encourage you to call your provider’s office to schedule a virtual visit, if appropriate, instead of an in-person visit.

This section provides links to information on various sites regarding COVID-19, more commonly referred to as the coronavirus. For any questions regarding COVID-19, please contact the IDPH hotline at 1-800-889-3931 or email: DPH.sick@illinois.gov.

Please note that at this time there is no standardization for how insurance companies pay for COVID-19 testing.

Some insurance plans will cover this testing at 100 percent while others may not. This may impact your billing if you have been tested for COVID-19. If you have been tested and receive a bill from NCH, we recommend that you please contact your insurance company to inquire if your benefits should cover this test as soon as you receive an explanation of benefits from your insurance plan. Thank you for your patience as we work through the many challenges we are all experiencing due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

To our valued patients: We are empathetic to the potential financial hardship caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Please call us at 847-618-4780 (option 2) and ask about increased flexibility available regarding your payments and payment plans during this stressful time.