Civista restricting its visiting hours

Concern about swine flu drives new policies

Friday, Oct. 16, 2009

Civista joins other regional hospitals in changing the facility's policy for visiting patients, said Joyce Riggs, spokeswoman. The new visiting hours are from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 6 to 8 p.m. Visiting hours before the restriction took place were generally open with restricted hours only in the intensive-care unit and the nursery.

"This is not specific to our area," she said. "There has been no event to cause us to do this. It's just precautionary."

The new policy allows only two people to visit a patient at one time, according to hospital officials. People who are younger than 18, including siblings of a patient, will be restricted from visiting patients.

The policy is effective immediately and will continue through the flu season, hospital officials said.

The hospital has set some other policies for the flu season, including restricting visitors who display any symptoms of influenza-like illness, including fever and coughs, according to hospital officials.

Spouses, significant others, parents or direct caregivers such as a son, daughter or immediate family member responsible for care, might be exempt from limits to visiting hours at the discretion of the patient care manager.

In addition, visitors might be issued masks or other protective clothing for use when visiting patients in the hospital, hospital officials said. Folks who refuse to wear such protective clothing will be asked to leave the hospital.

Civista is following guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control, said William Leebel, Charles County Department of Health spokesman.

"It's to protect the patients who are in the hospital who already have a weakened immune system," he said. "If they come into contact with someone who has the flu virus, they're more likely to get it."

Leebel said the county has not seen an increase in influenza-like illnesses yet.

"It's been a steady incline," he said. "We're waiting for a spike in cases but it hasn't happened yet."

Riggs said Civista is in constant contact with the health department and other area hospitals regarding the H1N1 virus, also known as swine flu.

"We'll be monitoring the situation closely," she said.

Leebel said the health department has been flooded with calls from people who want to know when the H1N1 vaccine will be available in Charles County. The county has received 400 doses of the H1N1 nasal mist vaccine but those are being reserved for health care workers in the county who are set to receive the voluntary vaccine Tuesday, he said.

The nasal mist form of the vaccine is only for people 2 to 49 who have no serious health issues, especially asthma and other respiratory ailments, because it contains a weak live virus, Leebel said. Pregnant women will not be given the mist, either, he said.

The health department is not certain when the swine flu vaccine injections and more doses of the nasal mist will be released to Charles County, said Dr. Chinnadurai Devadason, health officer for Charles County.

"We're waiting to receive larger supplies of the vaccine so that we can immunize priority groups in Charles County," he said in a press release, adding the first groups to receive the H1N1 vaccine injections will be pregnant women, folks who care for children younger than 6 months, people 6 months to 24 years and folks 25 to 64 who have chronic health problems. "Supplies will be arriving weekly and we will work to provide the H1N1 vaccine to residents as soon as possible."

Swine flu vaccine clinics for the general public will be set up after all of the priority groups have been vaccinated, Leebel said.

"The health department will have H1N1 vaccine clinics and we'll announce the information when we have a better handle on when we're going to receive additional doses of the vaccine," he said. "There will be enough for everybody. We just ask that the public be patient."

Charles County commissioners' President F. Wayne Cooper (D) said Civista's new visiting policy, like flu vaccinations, is just another way to help stop the spread of the H1N1 virus in the community.

"I'm pleased to see that the hospital is taking action," he said. "We need to do all of the precautions we can to avoid the spread of H1N1. I'm glad to see the hospital is being proactive."

nmcconaty@somdnews.com