< Patients and Visitors

Visitor Guidelines

At Arkansas Children's, we believe that the parents and/or caregivers are essential members of the healthcare team and vital to our family-centered approach to care. Our top priority is to ensure that we provide a safe environment and the best possible protection for our patients, families and teams. We do not restrict or deny visitation based on race, color, nationality, origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression or disability. Our visiting guidelines balance the needs of the family with the patient's safety. Any restrictions are based on keeping the patient safe and preventing the spread of infection.

In order to help us account for everyone on campus and to ensure the safety of our patients and visitors, all adult visitors entering Arkansas Children's Hospital or Arkansas Children's Northwest will be asked for identification. Information from the ID will be used to generate a badge to be worn at all times while on campus. The badge will:

  • link you to the patient you are visiting or escorting
  • allow hospital staff to easily recognize and escort you to the appropriate area of the hospital
While we will ask for identification, an ID is not required. We will manually enter your information to generate the badge.

Visitor Rights and Responsibilities

We respect the right of parents/guardians and adult patients to identify who may and may not visit. A minor patient's parent/guardian is encouraged to be at the hospital with their child as much as possible and overnight lodging accommodations are available to support parent presence. For adult patients (18 and over), the person chosen is allowed to be here 24 hours a day and may or may not be the patient's parent or guardian.

All visitors are required to follow hospital rules and guidelines regarding appropriate dress and behavior for a pediatric facility.

Outpatient Visits (Clinics, Surgery/Bedside and Testing Visits)

  • Visiting hours are 9 a.m. 9 p.m.

Inpatient Visits

  • At any time during your hospital stay, you may instruct the Admissions Department to remove your name from the list of hospitalized patients if you do not want anyone outside of Arkansas Children's to know you are in the hospital.
  • In non-critical care areas, in the patient's private room there is not a designated number of family or visitors allowed in the room as long as patient care and patient medical needs are not negatively impacted by the number of visitors.
  • Adult patients may have their designated support person have unlimited access unless patient care or privacy of others is of concern.
  • We understand that you may not be able to be at the hospital 24 hours a day. You can designate someone over the age of 18 to provide support when you can't be there.
  • If other restrictions are placed on your visitors, you will be informed as to the reason.

Family Houses

  • The Family Houses will accommodate up to four caregivers, with two on the unit and two in the Family House.
  • The Central Family House and the ICU Family Houses are open to parents/caregivers on a limited basis and as space allows. Overnight sleeping in Family Houses is limited due to social distancing requirements, so we may not be able to accommodate all of those parents/caregivers approved for two to stay overnight. Please check with the Family Services Assistant (FSA)  in these respective areas for more details.