Starting Wednesday, Methodist Health System and CHI Health will prohibit visitors at all of their hospitals and clinics as a response to the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the region.
Visitors are being encouraged to stay connected to their loved ones through virtual means, like Skype, FaceTime, or on the phone.
While both health care entities had previously instituted restrictions in their visitor policies, managing visitors remained challenging, according to a Tuesday press release sent out by the health care providers. "We have become increasingly concerned about the risk of exposure to COVID-19,” said Kathy Bressler, chief operating officer of CHI Health. “We reached out to Methodist to discuss further changes and both health systems agreed that more is needed. We will do everything in our power to provide care with dignity and respect.”
According to the release, there are select few exceptions to the policy:
- Labor/delivery patient is allowed one labor partner
- NICU and postpartum infant are allowed two parents/guardians
- Pediatric/minor patients are allowed one parent/guardian
- Dependent adults needing special assistance may be allowed a support person, at the discretion of hospital staff
- Patient receiving end-of-life care may be allowed visitors, at the discretion of hospital staff
“After much discussion and collaboration with our health care partners at CHI Health, we have come to this difficult decision,” said Steve Goeser, president and CEO of Methodist Health System. “We clearly understand what an important role families and loved ones can play in the healing of our patients. But in these extreme times, extreme measures need to be taken. By restricting visitors to our campuses, it really does help ensure the safety of our patients, our staff and, more importantly, our community.”