Hospital and Extended Care limiting visitation due to viruses
Effective immediately, Oneida Health will be limiting visitation to the hospital and restricting any visitors to the Extended Care Facility until further notice.
The Oneida Health Hospital will be limiting visitor hours from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. in an effort to reduce exposure to the COVID-19 coronavirus and the spread of influenza to patients and staff. “The safety of our patients and staff is always our top priority,” said President and CEO Gene Morreale. “While there have not been any confirmed cases of coronavirus in Central New York, with the recent reports and high rate of influenza occurring, we are confident that these measures will support our efforts to provide the highest level of care during this time.”
In addition to these restrictions, the hospital also requests anyone with any symptoms of respiratory illness refrain from visiting.
In addition to the hospital, the Oneida Health Rehabilitation and Extended Care will not be allowing any visitors until further notice due to some recent cases of influenza with residents and staff.
“We do not take the decision to restrict visitors from seeing their loved ones lightly,” said Morreale. “We have had several cases of the flu among our residents and staff recently, which is not uncommon during this time of year, but requires us to take immediate precautions to limit its impact on the health and safety of our residents and staff.”
He noted that the restriction on visitors would only be temporary until the spread of influenza is resolved.
“We are working closely with the state Department of Health and the Madison County Department of Health to monitor COVID-19 trends, guidance on best practices and suggested measures to treat patients who may have symptoms related to the coronavirus,” Morreale said. “Be confident, though COVID-19 is new, our health team is experienced and receives training for instances similar to this one on an ongoing basis. It’s what we are here to do.”
For more information about COVID-19, visit the Center for Disease Control and Prevention website for the most up-to-date information.