MS SB2890

Minor patients have the right to have a parent, guardian, or person in loco parentis physically present during hospital care.

Adult patients have the right to designate a spouse, family member, or caregiver to be physically present during hospital care.

Hospitals may restrict visitation when medically contraindicated, interfering with patient care, disruptive, or noncompliant with safety protocols and rules of conduct; hospitals may revoke visitation rights for noncompliance.

Hospitals cannot terminate, suspend, or waive these visitation rights even during gubernatorial emergencies, and cannot require patients to waive these rights as a condition of admission.

State agencies cannot penalize hospitals for allowing visitor access, failing to ensure visitor safety, or following CDC guidelines that restrict visitor access, and hospitals are not liable for visitor actions.