Guidelines for Community Giving through and Special Visits, Projects, and In-Kind Donations

Thank you for your interest in visiting Charleston Area Medical Center, Inc. (“CAMC”). Community groups, projects and special visitors and In-Kind donations play an important role in brightening a patient's hospital stay and providing comfort to these patients and their families. Community groups and special visitors can include holiday guests, performers, and local organizations. 

All visiting groups, special visitors and donations will be approved, screened and scheduled through Volunteer Services. (All special visits made to hospitalized children at CAMC Women and Children’s will be screened and approved in advance by the Child Life Specialist through Volunteer Services.) 

Interest forms will be reviewed for the appropriateness of activity, size, and ages of the visiting group, scheduling availability and the patient group being served. Completion of an interest form does not guarantee acceptance or scheduling of a visit or event. If we are unable to accommodate your offer, we can suggest alternative ideas for service. 

Please review the following guidelines prior to submitting an Interest Form to the hospital and planning a visit or service opportunity. 

• All community groups and/or special visitors planning to have patient contact are screened in advance to determine the appropriateness of the visit for our patients. It is recommended that groups be approved and scheduled at least one month before your anticipated visit by Volunteer Services and/or Child Life Program to give adequate time to plan.
• All community group members and/or special visitors will be required to must complete a Confidentiality, Liability and General Policies Agreement Form for Group and Special Visitors prior to the event, service, or activity.
•  At the time of your visit, if you are ill, or have had recent contact or exposure to a communicable disease, please do not come to the hospital. o Examples of illness include, but are not limited to fever, colds, nausea, diarrhea, or exposure to chicken pox, mumps, or measles.
• Special Visitors will only be allowed to visit those areas already pre-approved for that visit. A staff member will always be with you.
• During flu season, all special visitors must attest to having a flu shot.

• Community group members and/or special visitors should dress in a neat and appropriate manner based on the service, event, or activity. The following is not permitted:

  -  Clothing that is very revealing, visibly unclean or torn.

  - Open open-toed shoes.

  - Clothing with obscene language and/or graphics.

  - Visible tattoos containing nudity, profanity, and/or obscene language or graphics. Any such tattoos should be covered during the visit.

  - Heavy perfume or cologne

• Community group members and/or special visitors are expected to regard all patient information (including identity, diagnosis, and condition, etc.) as strictly confidential. Divulging confidential information will result in termination of the event, service, or activity and will NOT be permitted to return for another visit/special event. 

• Community group members and/or special visitors should avoid the following:

  -  Conversations with patients, staff, or other volunteers regarding inappropriate and/or unwanted subjects, including politics and religious preference.

  - Asking a patient why he/she/they are in the hospital

  - Giving or accepting personal gifts, personal telephone numbers, email addresses or physical addresses to patients and vice versa. Relationships with the staff and patients should remain professional.

  - Requesting professional medical advice (informally) concerning self, family or patients from the medical staff or other clinicians.

  - Any attempt to give medical care or provide medical advice to patients.

• Due to confidentiality, during a visit, photos are not permitted without a staff member or member of the Marketing team present. All photography requests by community groups must be made at the time of scheduling. Group members should have their cell phones and cameras put away for their visit.
• Requests for news media must go through the hospital’s Marketing team at the time of scheduling. Local news stations and other media outlets are not permitted on site without the hospital's marketing team approval. This includes the community group’s internal media personnel. Due to the nature of the services provided within CAMC, media requests may not be approved.
• Food treats must be planned at the time of scheduling. Volunteer Services must be made aware of any intention to bring food treats. Food may only be brought in with express permission. If approved, all foods must be store-bought and individually packaged for the safety of patients, staff, and volunteers.

• Plans for donations of items/gifts should be coordinated with Volunteer Services and/or Child Life prior to your visit. If you are interested in bringing gifts, we ask that you provide enough items for all patients. All gifts must be brand new. No “gently used” items will be accepted as gifts for our patients. Please make sure that your gifts are appropriate for all ages and genders. If you have concerns, please talk with Volunteer Services and/or the Child Life Specialist and see if a donation drop-off would be a better fit.

  - Hand-made items must be smoke-free, dust-free, and free from mold/mildew. These items should be prewashed and placed in a zip lock back for delivery to the hospital.

  - Before a purchased or handmade donation is made, the donation must be approved, and a Gift In-Kind form must be received.

  - Suggestions for items to donate can be found on our Amazon Wish Lists. If purchased from Amazon, items can be directly sent to CAMC. For any donation from an Amazon Wish List, a GiftIn-Kind form must be received.

  - Interacting with children at CAMC Women and Children’s Hospital for the sole purpose of giving away gifts or toys is NOT permitted.

  - All financial donations to support the patients of Charleston Area Medical Center can be made by contacting the CAMC Foundation at (304) 388-9860 or donating online at camcfoundation.org. 

• By participating in Community Group activities at CAMC, you are assuming the risk of any injury, illness or loss of property that may occur during your activity. 
• CAMC reserves the right to cancel or discontinue visits at any time.