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New Visitor Badges Going into Effect on December 2
Nov 20, 2019

(ST. JOSEPH) – Beginning December 2, all community members age 12 and older who are visiting a loved one in the inpatient units at Lakeland Medical Center in St. Joseph will need a new visitor badge prior to accessing patient areas. Visitors will be required to present a valid photo ID to the front desk which will be scanned into the system to create the badge. Photos can also be taken onsite for those too young to have an ID.

In addition to photo identification, the new badges will be color coded for each individual floor and will self-expire after 24 hours. If a visitor plans to be at the hospital longer than 24 hours, they will need to go back to the front desk to have another badge issued to them.
“Studies have shown health care is the second most violent-prone profession in America,” said Rich Matthews, director of safety and security, Spectrum Health Lakeland. “By taking these extra precautions we are ensuring that everyone who comes into our facility has been pre-authorized by our staff which helps create a safer environment for our patients, team members, and visitors.”

Plans are also in the works to begin issuing badges in the emergency department. At this time, if visitors are transitioning with a loved one from the emergency department to an inpatient unit, they will first need to visit the front desk to have a badge issued. New visitor badges are currently only going into effect at Lakeland Medical Center in St. Joseph.