West Tennessee Healthcare restricting visitors at facilities

JACKSON, Tenn. — The West Tennessee Healthcare system has announced restrictions to visitor access to inpatient facilities due to the COVID-19, or coronavirus, outbreak.

In an attempt to prevent the spread of illness, visitors are now prohibited at all inpatient facilities. However, there are limited exceptions.

• One parent or legal guardian of a minor patient
• Obstetric patients may have one support person accompany them.
• Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, or NICU, patients may have two parents who must remain in the room the duration of the visit.
• Patients at end-of-life care may have a very limited number of visitors who must remain in the room for the duration of the visit.
• Patients undergoing surgery or procedures may have one visitor before and immediately after the procedure or surgery.
• If a single, approved designated visitor meets an exception, the individual must be determined at the time of hospitalization and may not be changed during the hospital stay.

To limit the spread of infectious disease, approved visitors will still be asked questions to understand if they are experiencing any symptoms such as fever, cough or shortness of breath, according to a news release.

The release says visitors who exhibit flu-like symptoms will be prohibited from visiting patients.