All Pawtucket All The Time

                 Pawtucket – In order to best protect the health of patients during this time of increased H1N1 flu cases, Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island announced changes to its visitor guidelines.

                Effective, Friday, October 30, children under the age of 18 and people who have flu-like symptoms will not be permitted to visit patients. Flu-like symptoms include a fever and dry cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, headache, extreme tiredness and muscle aches.

                “In response to the increase in the number of patients who have developed H1N1 flu or flu-like illness,” stated Andrew Artenstein, M.D., Physician-in-Chief, Department of Medicine,  “we are taking these precautions to protect patients, visitors and staff. We regret any difficulty this may cause families and may make accommodations in special circumstances,” he noted.

                People who arrive at the hospital and are unable to visit will be directed to a designated phone to speak to the patient.

                The hospital is limiting each maternity patient to two visitors at a time, in addition to a significant other. Siblings will be allowed to visit maternity patients with the approval of the nurse manager.

                The maximum number of visitors for maternity and pediatric patients is two. Before seeing a patient, visitors need to go to the nursing station on the patient’s unit for a health screening.

                The new guidelines require anyone who enters the hospital with a cough or flu-like symptoms to wear a facemask. The facemasks, along with hand sanitizer, are available at the hospital’s main entrance and at wall mounted stations throughout the facility as well as on all nursing units.