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<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   Related Stories • Hospital visitor policies 10/30/09 • Bacterial disease linked to swine flu 11/26/09 • Swine flu variation resists Tamiflu 11/21/09 • Santa’s wish list: A swine flu shot 11/18/09 • Swine flu death toll nears 4,000 11/13/09 • Nation, World Briefs: 11 million new doses of swine flu vaccine 11/7/09 • Swine flu suspected in infant’s death 11/5/09 » More SWINE FLU stories >   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Friday, October 30, 2009 Visitors limited at area hospitals People will be turned away in an effort to keep swine flu from spreading. By Sharon Salyer Herald Writer If you’re planning to visit a patient at an area hospital, get ready to be greeted with a new set of rules, all to prevent the spread of flu. Are you coughing or do you have a fever? You’ll probably be asked to go home. Many hospitals are restricting the number of patient visitors to no more than two at any one time. And at most area hospitals, children under 12 aren’t being allowed to visit patients, although some are making exceptions for patients in hospice or critical care. New polices take effect today at Providence Regional Medical Center Everett. Other hospitals, from Whidbey General Hospital on Whidbey Island to Seattle Children’s Hospital, either have similar polices in place, or will soon. The policies are going into effect as swine flu sweeps through schools and workplaces, both locally and across the nation, leading to the declaration of a national emergency. At Providence, 24 patients were hospitalized with suspected flu on Thursday, three in the critical care unit. Beginning today, signs will be posted at entryways prohibiting visitors with a fever from entering the hospital. Visitors who are coughing, sneezing, have a sore throat or a runny or stuffy nose are asked to stay home. If they must visit the hospital, they’ll be asked to wear a mask. Children under 12 won’t be allowed to enter the hospital, unless they’re visiting a critically ill or dying patient. “Children are a source; they’re known to spread disease,” said Carla Ward, an infection control specialist at Providence. And children often aren’t careful about remembering to wash their hands frequently and cough into their sleeve, she said. Anyone visiting Providence patients who are hospitalized with the flu are being asked to put on masks, gowns and gloves. “There’s been some resistance” from some family members, said Providence spokeswoman Cheri Russum. “What they’re not realizing is we’re trying to keep the flu virus in the room,” she said. “It’s simply so they’re not spreading it outside that patient’s room.” These and other steps are being taken to try to protect visitors as well as patients, who by the very fact of being in the hospital are medically fragile, Ward said. “We’ve got an increased number of (swine flu) cases in our community,” Ward said. “This is what we’re doing to provide that safe environment for patients.” Although Stevens Hospital in Edmonds doesn’t have hospital-wide restrictions, it did begin screening visitors to its new baby unit earlier this month. Visitors are asked if they have flulike symptoms. If so, they’re asked to come back when they feel better. Visitors who are symptom-free are given a one-day sticker, indicating they’ve been screened for flu symptoms. Although some people have been turned away, it hasn’t been a big issue, said Steve Kaiser, hospital spokesman. “It seems a lot of people understand if you have the flu, that’s not the time to visit a newborn,” because their immune systems aren’t yet fully developed, he said. At Seattle Children’s Hospital, each visitor is stopped by a greeter or security guard, and asked if they’ve recently had flulike symptoms, such as fever, coughing or sneezing. If not, they’re issued a badge. If they do, they’re often asked to go home, although “it depends on their purpose for being here,” spokeswoman Louise Maxwell said. Last week, the hospital reinstituted a policy it began last spring during the first wave of swine flu: Children under 12 are prohibited from visiting patients. “We called all the families scheduled for surgeries over the next few days to let them know ... that if they had siblings or friends trying to visit, they would not be able to do so,” Maxwell said. On Thursday, the hospital had 28 outpatients and 17 inpatients suspected of having swine flu, she said. Sharon Salyer:425-330-3486 or salyer@heraldnet.com. READER COMMENTS Be the first to comment. You must be a registered user and verify your e-mail address to post comments to blogs or articles on HeraldNet. To register, click here. To read other terms and conditions, click here. Log out

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