Emergency Department Access for Observant Jewish Patients and Visitors
Sinai Hospital offers a Shabbos and Yom Tov procedure for observant Jewish patients and those accompanying them.
The instructions below are intended to help you reach the emergency department without activating electronic doors, motion sensors or other devices.
Walking or Carrying to the Emergency Department
Patients who are walking or carrying, along with accompanying family members and visitors, may use the hospital’s designated route. Updated in 2026, this route:
- Provides a shorter path than previous recommended routes
- Prioritizes physical safety
- Avoids eruv boundary concerns at the edge of the Sinai Hospital campus
When you arrive:
- Use the Shabbos entrance of the Blaustein Building, located about 100 paces to the left of the hospital’s main entrance.
- If using the main entrance, wait until another person has activated the electronic door, then follow through.
- Proceed to the receptionist in the main lobby, just a few steps from the main entrance.
- Tell the receptionist: “I am a Sabbath-observant Jew. Please provide me with a Sabbath escort to accompany me to the emergency department.”
- A security team member will be called to escort you and anyone accompanying you to the emergency department and open any secured or electronic doors along the route.
Arriving by Vehicle
If you arrive at the emergency department’s rear entrance on Shabbos or Yom Tov by way of a motor vehicle, Sinai’s security team can assist with entry.
- When you are more than three courses of cement from the outside door, wave to the security guard posted inside the entrance.
- This guard will open both the outside and inside electronic doors for you.
Important Notes
- This procedure is available for patients seeking emergency care and for those accompanying or visiting them.
- Hospital staff and security personnel are aware of this procedure.
- If you are ever unsure where to go, ask the main lobby receptionist or emergency department security guard for help.