NEWS 25 - WEHT: Evansville, Henderson, Owensboro-H1N1 Prompts Visitor Restrictions At Local Hospitals

H1N1 Prompts Visitor Restrictions At Local Hospitals

story by Jamie Rose

EVANSVILLE - If you're planning on visiting someone at the hospital, you might notice some hospitals are enforcing new restrictions through this flu season in an attempt to stop the spread of H1N1.    

Wednesday, NEWS 25 finds out some visitors are being asked to stay at home.

Deaconess Hospital and Saint Mary's Medical Center are enforcing temporary visitation restrictions. Hospital officials say they are trying to keep everyone safe.

If you've visited a patient at Deaconess or Saint Mary's, you probably noticed signs right when you walk in, spelling out the new visitation guidelines.    

Sam Rogers with Deaconess tells NEWS 25, "It's really trying to protect all the different populations that come in and out of our facility."

At Deaconess those under the age of 17 and at Saint Mary's those under 24 are asked not to visit patients, along with people who have flu like symptoms or have been around someone with the flu. 

If you are pregnant or have any chronic conditions, you should not visit any patients in either hospital.

Rick Peltier with Saint Mary's says, "People six months to 24 years old are most susceptible to the virus acquiring the virus and transmitting the virus."

That's why unless they're patients at the hospitals, they're being asked to not visit.

Peltier says it's an effort to keep everyone safe.

"We've had to ask people to leave everyday, but when they get confused a little and ask us why they are being asked to leave, then we explain the policy," explains Peltier.

But officials at both hospitals say there are exceptions to these restrictions, but it's on a case by case basis.

"If there is a legitimate reason certainly we can work with them on that," says Rogers.

Deaconess Emergency Department Doctor, Patrick Foutz, says he's still seeing quite a few flu patients in the emergency room.

Dr. Foutz says, "We obviously want to try and limit the exposure of our patient clientele."

Foutz supports the new visitor restrictions, keeping this type of exposure down for those visiting. But Foutz says it's not just visitors taking precautions.

"You'll see a lot of employees walking around with masks and they're trying to protect themselves as well as the other patients here," explains Foutz.

Hospital officials say these visitor restrictions will be lifted once flu season is over.