Find VA policies on privacy and patient rights, family rights, visitation, and more.
Privacy and patient rights
Read VA's national privacy and patient rights policies
Family rights
Read VA's national family rights policy
Visitation policy
Before visiting a patient at a VA facility, review these guidelines:
Visiting hours:
Call the medical centerfor specific ward visiting hours and information.
San Francisco VA Medical Center: 415-221-4810
Visiting church members
If you’re a member of the religious community, we encourage you to visit patients who belong to your church or religious group. However, you’re not allowed to do general visitation by going from bed to bed, ward to ward, or unit to unit.
Bringing food
You may bring small amounts of candy, fruit, and other food items if the nursing staff says they are appropriate for a patient's diet. You may not bring fresh fruit and flowers to patients who are receiving critical care, and you can’t eat or drink in those units.
Washing hands
You must follow hand-hygiene policy guidelines, which require you to practice good hand hygiene when you enter and exit patient rooms, and at other times as directed by staff.
Following infection-control guidelines
You must follow guidelines on infection-control signs and report to the nurses' station for instructions before you enter a patient's room.
Staying home if you are ill
If you have a communicable disease, you won't be allowed to visit patients inside the medical center.
Prohibited items
You're not allowed to bring weapons, cameras, or other prohibited items into the medical center, except when you'reconducting official business authorized by the Director or their designee. If you have questions about what qualifies as official business, please contact the facility's Director.
Giving privacy
Our staff may ask you to leave the room when they’re caring for patients. If a staff member asks you to leave a patient's room, you may continue your visit in the day room, waiting area, or any other public area of the facility.
Visiting seriously ill patients
Relatives and friends may visit patients who are seriously ill or in hospice care at any time of day, unless the staff doctor says no.
Visiting patients in restraints
In general, you won't be allowed to visit patients who are in restraints. If the treatment team decides that your visit could have a positive effect on the patient, then you may have a supervised visit with the patient when a staff member removes the restraints. Our staff will document how the patient responds to you and other visitors.
Bringing children to visit
Children of all ages can visit patients at our medical center. For infection-control and safety reasons, however, children under the age of 16 are not allowed to visit certain specialty-care units. . All children under the age of 16 must be directly supervised by an adult. Children's bedside visits are limited to 15 minutes.
Visiting psychiatric units with children
Children under the age of 16 may visit patients in psychiatric units with the doctor’s permission.
Limiting your visit
Our doctors maylimit, restrict, or deny visitsfor the medicalwell-being of a patient. We apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate your understanding.
Prohibited items
You can'tbring weapons, alcohol, or illegal drugs into the building. Because the VA medical center is federal property, all visitors and bags may be searched.
Security
Our Police Officers provide 24-hour patrols and officer reaction to criminal activity on all VA controlled property, to include National Cemeteries. For general police assistance, please call 415-750-2003. In case of an emergency while on facility grounds, call 415-750-2222. Report all suspicious or criminal activity, vehicle accidents, and government/personal property losses to the VA Police while on the facility grounds as soon as possible. OurVA Police are Federal Officers empowered with authority pursuant to 38 USC 902.
Because the VA Medical Center is federal property, all persons and bags are subject to search. In addition, weapons, alcohol, or illegal drugs (to include "medical marijuana") are prohibited.
Notice to California Patients
Someof our medical doctors are licensed and regulated by the Medical Board of California. To check up on a license or to file a complaint involving medical doctors licensed in the State of California, go towww.mbc.ca.gov,email:licensecheck@mbc.ca.gov
VA general visitation policy
The medical center respects the patient's right to make decisions about his or her care, treatment and services, and to involve the patient's family in care, treatment, and services decisions to the extent permitted by the patient or surrogate decision-maker.
"Family" is defined as a group of two or more persons united by blood, or adoptive, marital, domestic partnership, or other legal ties. The family may also be a person or persons not legally related to the individual (such as significant other, friend or caregiver) whom the individual considers to be family. A family member may be the surrogate decision-maker, as defined in VHA Handbook 1004.02, if authorized to make care decisions for the individual, should he or she lose decision-making capacity or choose to delegate decision making to another.
The medical center allows a family member, friend or other individual to be present with the patient for emotional support during the course of their stay. The medical center allows for the presence of a support individual of the patient's choice, unless the individual's presence infringes on others’ rights or safety, or is medically or therapeutically contraindicated. The individual may or may not be the patient's surrogate decision-maker or legally authorized representative.
The hospital prohibits discrimination based on age, race, ethnicity, religion, culture, language, physical or mental disability, socioeconomic status, sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity or expression.
Advance directives
When faced with difficult decisions about health care,you may struggle with the question of "what should be done?" These resources can help you deal with tough decisions about health care and how to plan for it.
Health Care Ethics Resources for Veterans, Patients, and Families
VA Form 10-0137 -VA Advance Directive: Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care and Living Will
What You Should Know about Advance Directives
Report patient quality of care concerns
Visit the Joint Commission page to report concerns you have about the quality of patient care.
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