Published on December 02, 2022
Owensboro Health Implements Flu Restrictions For Visitors, Team
Due to the high volumes of flu, RSV, COVID-19 and other viral illnesses, Owensboro Health is implementing Influenza Visitor Restriction Guidelines, effective December 2. These guidelines will replace the COVID-19 masking protocols that have been in place for several weeks. This policy applies to all Owensboro Health locations.
The policy change comes after Owensboro Health Regional Hospital’s lab performed more than 400 rapid flu tests in a seven-day period while statewide flu activity is categorized at the “very high” level.
Owensboro Health is committed to protecting our patients and visitors, and these guidelines minimize our patients’ exposure to outside contaminants. They also reduce visitors’ risk of being exposed to illness while visiting the hospital.
Visitor restrictions at all Owensboro Health facilities include the following:
- Masks are required in public settings or patient-facing situations.
- Visitors should be kept to a minimum.
- Anyone with a cold, respiratory illness or flu symptoms should refrain from visiting. 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.
- Visitors are asked to leave the facility immediately after visiting a patient room and not loiter.
- Children under the age of 18 should not visit patients.
Visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website for more information about the flu and this year’s flu season.
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 surgical weight loss center and 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.