Policies
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 center for specific ward visiting hours and information.
Wm. Jennings Bryan Dorn Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center: 803-776-4000
All Veterans WILL need to enter through the appropriate screening process at Wm. Jennings Bryan Dorn VA Medical Center or checkpoints at our VA outpatient clinics. All Veterans who enter any of the Columbia VA Health Care System’s facilities will be pre-screened.
We are suspending visitor entry until further notice. Visitors will be asked to wait in their car or at a table/bench for the Veteran to complete their appointment.
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.
Prohibited items
You're not allowed to bring weapons, cameras, or other prohibited items into the medical center, except when you're conducting 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.
Security
The Wm. Jennings Bryan Dorn VA Medical Center has a Police Service. Our officers provide 24-hour patrols of the facility and parking lots. For general police assistance, please dial 55595. In case of an emergency, dial 56911. Report all suspicious or criminal activity, vehicle accidents, and personal property losses to the VA Police while on the facility grounds as soon as possible.
Because the VA medical center is federal property, all persons and bags are subject to search. In addition, no weapons, alcohol, or illegal drugs are permitted.
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.