Source: TheDenverChannel.com

DENVER -- At hospitals across the state, many patients and families are bringing their children as visitors to the hospital, only to learn they are no longer allowed.

Steven Summer, president and CEO of the Colorado Hospital Association, said that’s why he’s trying to get the word out: leave your children at home.

"We may be the communicator of the bad news, but really it's for the families and the children," said Summer. "There will be a learning process."

       
Hospitals across the state enacted the policy of restricting visitation for children under 12 (or under 18, depending on the hospital).

Commerce City Resident Vernon Martin first heard about the policy when his wife came down with pneumonia.
He said that for the first two days she was at St. Joseph Hospital, his three children were allowed to wait downstairs while he checked on her.

"Friday, they said the kids sit in this area. There were many kids in the area," he said.
But on the third day, he said, a security guard told him he couldn’t leave his children unattended.
"My daughter is 12 years old. She can watch my 7 and 5 year old. There shouldn't be any problem, just give me 5 minutes. And they would not do that," he said. “Doesn’t anybody have any compassion?”

Summer said that since it’s a new policy, many hospitals are trying to accommodate individual needs.
But, he said, stories like the Martins are why hospitals are working to inform families.
He suggests calling the hospital or checking its Web site to find out its policy for children.
If you have a special request, he said it would be better received if you call in advance.