Submitted by PeaceHealth
PeaceHealth United General Medical Center has made a temporary change to its visitation policy due to the increased incidence of COVID-19 in the Skagit County community.
PeaceHealth says temporarily visitors will not be allowed for most patients including surgical services and outpatient procedures. “The decision to further restrict visitors was difficult to make,” said Chris Johnston, PeaceHealth United General’s chief administrative officer, “We recognize that visitors and families play an essential part in the healing environment and we must balance this with what remains our top priority: keeping our patients, caregivers and the community safe.”
Exceptions will be made in certain circumstances. Patients receiving end-of-life care, minors and patients with a cognitive disability who require assistance and who are not COVID-19 positive may be allowed one visitor on a case-by-case basis.
Emergency room visitors are not allowed except under limited circumstances, and no visitors are allowed in clinics except for those accompanying patients needing assistance.
Loved ones are encouraged to connect with hospitalized patients using smart phone applications, such as FaceTime, WhatsApp, or Skype during this period of limited face-to-face support. Johnston shared, “We know how difficult these visitation restrictions are for our patients and their families and we appreciate their cooperation and the extra support of our caregivers to provide alternative visit interactions.”
Visit the PeaceHealth website to read the latest news at PeaceHealth, as well as helpful education and prevention resources related to COVID-19.
