Published on January 09, 2020
Owensboro Health Regional Hospital implements visitor restrictions due to flu
An increase in flu cases is being seen locally and Owensboro Health is reacting to protect patients, visitors and health system staff.
On Thursday, January 24, Owensboro Health Regional Hospital put visitor restrictions into place as a safeguard. The restrictions will remain in place until further notice and are meant to limit the chances that someone infected with the flu could pass it to a patient.
As of January 24, Owensboro Health Regional Hospital had 88 positive influenza rapid tests over the previous seven days. So far in January, Owensboro Health has recorded 140 cases of the flu.
Visitor restrictions at OHRH include the following actions:
- Visitors should be kept to a minimum and should only include persons essential for the patient’s care and emotional well-being.
- No children under age 18 will be allowed to visit patients.
- Anyone with a cold, respiratory illness or flu symptoms is asked to refrain from visiting.
- Symptoms meeting these criteria include one or more of the following: Fever or chills, cough, sore throat, runny nose and/or sneezing, muscle/body aches, headaches and fatigue.
Protect yourself!
Prevent the spread of flu to yourself and others by using good hand hygiene. Wash hands often with soap and water, or with a 60% alcohol-based hand sanitizer. If you have to cough or sneeze, do so into your upper sleeve (in the crook of your elbow) as this keeps germs contained in a place in a place from which they cannot easily spread.
If you haven’t gotten a flu shot this year, it’s not too late to do so, since flu season can last into February and beyond. The flu vaccine takes about two weeks to become active, so being vaccinated sooner is better. Flu shots can protect you from getting the flu, or give you partial immunity, meaning the flu will be less severe and make you sick for a shorter period of time.
Would you like to know more? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have extensive information and resources about the flu, including current flu activity and what you can do to protect yourself and your loved ones. Visit www.cdc.gov/flu to learn more.
Contact: Brian Hamby, Director of Owensboro Health Marketing & Public Relations, (O) 270-685-7749, (C) 270-316-4274, Brian.Hamby@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.