UNC Health Nash Main Campus Areas Seeing High Volumes

Temporary Visitor Restrictions in Place for Hospital and Emergency Department

Due to continued high patient volumes across the UNC Health Nash Main Campus, temporary visitor guidelines are in place to support patient safety, comfort, and care delivery. Effective immediately, visitation across most UNC Health Nash Main Campus patient care areas is limited to two visitors per patient at a time. For their safety, children under 12 will not be allowed to visit.

“We understand how important family members and loved ones are to the healing process and overall patient experience, and we do not make these decisions lightly,” said Dr. L. Lee Isley, President and CEO at UNC Health Nash. “At this time, we continue to welcome up to two visitors per patient at a time in our main hospital. As flu activity increases in our community, we ask everyone to help protect patients, visitors, and care teams by practicing preventive measures, including limiting crowding in waiting rooms and patient care areas.”

Visitation guidelines may be adjusted as conditions change. Any updates will be shared through official UNC Health Nash communications, including media releases, the UNC Nash website and official social channels.

Effective December 30, 2025, visitation in the Emergency Department was limited to one visitor per patient. Due to continued high patient volumes and space limitations, this restriction remains in effect.

“Our Emergency Department team is fully prepared to care for patients with emergent medical needs,” said Meredith Denton, Emergency Department Director at UNC Health Nash. “Limiting visitors in the Emergency Department allows us to manage space safely, reduce crowding, and ensure our teams can focus on delivering timely, high-quality care to those who need it most.”

Denton reminds the public that UNC Health Nash has an urgent care conveniently located at 550 N. Winstead Avenue in Rocky Mount, which is situated at the entrance to the UNC Nash campus. UNC Health Nash Urgent Care is open seven days a week from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., but will be closed on Thursday, January 1 for New Year’s Day. Denton says the clinic is designed to serve those needing immediate attention for non-life-threatening conditions, such as minor cuts, sprains, cold and flu symptoms and other common ailments. She added the facility provides a timesaving, cost-effective alternative for individuals seeking same-day treatment outside of the emergency department.

Denton provided the information below to help patients determine the best care setting for a variety of medical situations.

Denton also wants the community to know that prevention is key to stopping the spread of germs this cold and flu season.

“Washing your hands properly and often is one of the best lines of defense we have for stopping the spread of germs,” she said. “In addition to proper hand hygiene, staying home when you feel sick, if you do not need medical care, is also important. As flu cases continue to rise, it’s important now more than ever to put these into practice in order to reduce the spread.”

For more information about Emergency Department or Urgent Care services, visit www.UNCHealthNash.com.