DAVIESS COMMUNITY HOSPITAL INCREASES VISITOR RESTRICTIONS

DAVIESS COMMUNITY HOSPITAL INCREASES VISITOR RESTRICTIONS

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(Washington, IN) – Following the state of Indiana’s declaration of a public health state of emergency, Daviess Community Hospital is increasing visitor restrictions.

Per CDC and ISDH guidelines, Daviess Community Hospital has implemented the following visitor restrictions and alerts:

Daviess Community Hospital is limiting access to the hospital via the main lobby outside of normal business hours (Monday-Friday 7 a.m.-5 p.m.). Access to the hospital is also available through the Emergency Department 24 hours per day/7 days per week.

Daviess Community Hospital is restricting all visitors under the age of 15 and discouraging non-essential visitors. We have also elected to temporarily suspend all volunteers from their posts in the hospital.

Daviess Community Hospital is encouraging everyone to please stay home if you have a fever, cough, diarrhea and/or vomiting within the last 48 hours. Also, please thoroughly wash your hands and/or use sanitizer frequently.

The CDC is recommending that no one shake hands, hug others or engage in non-essential physical contact.

”As this is a rapidly evolving situation, we will work closely with the local Health Department to evaluate the situation frequently and will be updating restrictions as advised by our local Health Department, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH),” said Tracy Conroy, CEO.

In addition to the visitor restrictions, Daviess Community Hospital has educated staff about the CDC and ISDH guidelines during the public health state of emergency. It is important that we are on high alert for potential coronavirus COVID-19 cases.

Daviess Community Hospital is prepared to screen patients and visitors suspected of potential coronavirus infection by asking the following questions:

1. Has the patient or visitor traveled in the past 14 days outside of their home/work area to a restricted area as defined by the CDC?
2. Has the patient or visitor had contact with someone who has been diagnosed with COVID-19?

3. Does the patient or visitor have the following symptoms: fever, sore throat, cough or shortness of breath?

State and local health officials stressed during a recent news conference that anyone with symptoms should call their Primary Care Provider or hospital before seeking care. Advanced notice allows our providers to prepare for the patient’s arrival, reducing exposure to staff and other patients. The phone number to call is 812-254-2764.

The best resources for coronavirus COVID-19 information are the CDC website https://www.cdc.gov/ and the ISDH website www.in.gov/isdh/. Anyone with questions or concerns should use the ISDH COVID-19 website, the CDC website or contact their healthcare provider with questions or to learn the most up-to-date information about the outbreak and what steps to take. Questions about symptoms and many risk factors, as well as guidance on travel, can be answered using the websites.

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