News

Flu spike prompts restrictions on hospital visits

By Bill Moss, Published: December 19, 2016

A spike in influenza-like illnesses is prompting area hospitals to impose visitor restrictions.

Park Ridge Health has implemented visitor restrictions after North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services reported a rise in flu cases and several area schools closed due to influenza. Pardee planned to impose restrictions starting Thursday.
In order to protect patients, visitors, providers and staff, the following restrictions are in place at Park Ridge Health:
- No hospital visitors under the age of 18 permitted.
- Visitors are limited to immediate family and clergy only.
- The number of visitors is limited to one or two at a time, unless special circumstances are presented.
- No hospital visitors with cough or other flu symptoms permitted.

“To ensure the health and safety of our patients and staff we are taking this step to reduce the risk of exposure to the influenza by limiting visitors,” said Jimm Bunch, Park Ridge Health President & CEO.
Pardee will impose similar restrictions starting Thursday, December 22.
“We are monitoring the number of influenza cases for our area and anticipate that number to increase over the next few weeks,” Ivan Gowe, infection preventionist at Pardee, said in a statement. “For the safety of our patients, we will implement restrictions for visitors exhibiting cold and flu-like symptoms as well as children under the age of 18.”