Visitor restrictions in place at all Methodist Hospital campuses

In a letter to patients and customers this week, Vincent L. Sevier, MD, MBA, FACEP a Senior Vice President & Chief Quality Officer talks about updates to hospital policy in light of COVID-19, the disease caused by SarsCoV2 a novel coronavirus. "We know that news of the Coronavirus may have caused concerns. We want you to know that your health and well-being while visiting our facilities is a top priority at Methodist. We want to assure you that we are taking every precaution to ensure your safety during your visit. We are not recommending that patients cancel any appointments, procedures or elective surgeries. We have systems in place for screening and isolating any person who presents with symptoms and then fully supporting their care as warranted. We are fully capable of providing the necessary treatment for a patient with COVID-19 as well as minimizing risk to others." "We sanitize our clinics and patient rooms as well as all waiting rooms and public areas. We have stations throughout the campus with hand sanitizer, Kleenex and masks (for those who have cough or any cold symptoms). During this time we have imposed additional patient visitation restrictions. Visitors who are experiencing any signs of illness will not be permitted to enter and should visit their loved one by phone. The number of visitors is restricted to no more than 1 and no one under the age of 18 years." The letter asks customers and patients to remember to cover your cough and continue washing your hands. Current Visitor Restrictions Visitors under the age of 18 ARE NOT PERMITTED TO VISIT PATIENTS. CHILDREN CANNOT BE LEFT IN THE LOBBY WITHOUT ADULT SUPERVISION. If you have a fever, cough, headache or body aches, you ARE NOT PERMITTED TO VISIT PATIENTS in our inpatient units. ONLY ONE visitor per patient is allowed. Patients and visitors going to outpatient areas (clinics, emergency room, testing) with any of the above symptoms MUST WEAR A MASK. Before entering or leaving the hospital, PLEASE WASH HANDS WITH SOAP AND/OR SANITIZERS available throughout the hospital. Update on Testing Recommendations regarding testing and control of COVID-19 are rapidly evolving on both the state and federal level. Methodist Hospitals will continue to update our response based on these recommendations. At this time, Indiana State Department of Health has limited testing for the virus to severely ill patients admitted to the hospital, healthcare workers who have been exposed to confirmed cases and some symptomatic individuals in high risk populations. If You have Symptoms If you develop symptoms such as fever, cough or shortness of breath, stay home and call your healthcare provider. Older patients and individuals who have severe underlying medical conditions or are immunocompromised should contact their healthcare provider early, even if their illness is mild. If you have severe symptoms, contact your healthcare provider or emergency room and seek care immediately.