NC Senate may try to force hospitals to allow one visitor per patient despite COVID-19

Sen. Warren Daniel stood before the Senate Judiciary Committee telling lawmakers how one of his constituents died alone in a hospital bed because COVID-19 restrictions had barred the man’s family from being there.

Daniel, a Burke County Republican, introduced what he calls the “No Patient Left Alone” bill on Tuesday. The bill would allow hospital patients to appoint a person to be allowed inside the hospital to sit with them. That person would be temperature screened and given personal protective equipment and not permitted to roam the hospital hallways.

The bill could overturn some of the more stringent restrictions that North Carolina hospitals have placed on visitors to control the spread of the coronavirus.

Senators also heard from nurses and others asking them to pass the No Patient Left Alone bill. Rep. Michele Presnell, a Republican from Burnsville, said her husband was sent home from a hospital with only 25% of his heart working. He was given a life vest defibrillator but no instructions from any humans about his condition or how to use the equipment.

North Carolina resident Donna McGuire said a stroke caused her husband to have a series of silent seizures. But with no one advocating for him within the hospital, doctors didn’t realize that until they had to transfer him to another hospital for help.

She was never allowed inside.

Daniel said it’s easy to overreact during a time of crisis.

“I don’t think there is a lawmaker in this room who hasn’t heard from some constituent affected in some way,” he said. Daniel said he’s been working with various medical associations and though they don’t have complete buy-in yet, they’re still making adjustments to the bill to get them on board.

Senators ran out of time for their meeting Tuesday and asked some speakers to come back Thursday. Hospital representatives did not speak at Tuesday’s meeting; the N.C. Healthcare Association did not respond to an inquiry about the bill from the Insider on Tuesday afternoon.

The bill was only scheduled for discussion Tuesday but it’s scheduled for a vote at 10 a.m. Thursday.