Published on September 03, 2019
Owensboro Health Regional Hospital ends visitor restrictions as flu activity continues to decline
OWENSBORO, Ky. (March 29, 2019) – Visitor restrictions at Owensboro Health Regional Hospital were ended today, with flu activity on the decline throughout the region and the state.
Visitor restrictions were put into place on January 24 of this year, when statewide flu activity reached the “widespread” level and the hospital had more than 75 positive rapid flu tests in a seven-day period. Restrictions were ended after statewide flu activity dropped from “widespread” to “regional” and 48 rapid flu tests in the week of March 22 to 29.
Laura Gillim, RN, an infection prevention specialist at OHRH, said while this is welcome news, it’s still important to exercise caution.
“The number of influenza cases is typically greatest from October to April, but we see cases of the flu year-round,” Gillim said. “No matter what time of year it is, we always encourage people to use good hand hygiene and to cover their coughs and sneezes.”
Visitor restrictions at OHRH asked for the following:
· Visitors kept to a minimum and only included persons essential for the patient’s care and emotional well-being. · No children under age 18 visiting patients · Anyone with a cold, respiratory illness or flu symptoms was asked to refrain from visiting o These symptoms include one or more of the following: Fever or chills, cough, sore throat, runny nose and/or sneezing, muscle/body aches, headaches and fatigue Visit www.cdc.gov/flu for more information about the flu and this year’s flu season.
Contact: Dariush Shafa, Marketing Specialist, Owensboro Health Marketing & Public Relations, (O) 270-685-7738, (C) 270-925-0227, Dariush.Shafa@OwensboroHealth.org.
About Owensboro Health
Owensboro Health is a nonprofit health system with a mission to heal the sick and to improve the health of the communities it serves in Kentucky and Indiana. The system includes Owensboro Health Regional Hospital, nationally recognized for design, architecture and engineering; Owensboro Health Muhlenberg Community Hospital; Owensboro Health Twin Lakes Medical Center; the Owensboro Health Medical Group comprised of over 350 providers at more than 30 locations; three outpatient Healthplex facilities, a certified medical fitness facility, the Healthpark; a weight management program, and the Mitchell Memorial Cancer Center.
On average each year, we have more than 19,000 inpatient admissions, deliver 2,000 babies and provide the region’s only Level III NICU. Owensboro Health physicians perform nearly 33,000 surgical procedures, including nearly 150 open-heart surgeries. Our physicians and staff have 90,000 Emergency Department visits and more than 1.25 million outpatient visits annually. Visit our home page for more information.