Did you know flowers are not allowed in some hospital units?

Published: Wednesday, June 16, 2021

When a loved one is in the hospital, we want to show them that we are thinking about them and love them even when we are not physically there. One of the most common ways people express their love is by sending flowers. Flowers may be the most common get-well gift that a loved one sends to a hospital patient. But did you know that for some patients, flowers and plants can make them sicker?

Get-well gifts are welcome at Northeast Georgia Medical Center (NGMC), but flowers and plants pose a safety risk in some units. For example, intensive care, oncology, and immunocompromised patients may receive gifts but not flowers or plants because they can harbor mold and water-borne organisms, which could cause additional infection and illness. We want your loved one to have the cleanest and safest environment for healing, so please consider sending the following get-well gifts to your loved one if he or she is in intensive care, is receiving cancer treatment, or has a compromised immune system:

  • Balloons
  • Posters
  • Cards
  • Magazines or books
  • Self-care items like lotion or Chapstick

Of course, it’s also essential for your loved one to remain in contact with you. If you’d like something more than a phone call and you’re unable to visit your loved one during their stay, many hospitals – including NGMC – offer virtual visits using tablets so you can both see one another. You can ask your loved one’s nurse about how to set one up.

For information about NGMC’s on-site gift shops which deliver to patients, visit nghs.com/gift-shops.