MADIGAN ARMY MEDICAL CENTER, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. – In its ongoing effort to protect patients, staff and the community from the spread of COVID-19, while also increasing the face-to-face services provided to its beneficiaries, Madigan Army Medical Center has updated the visitation policy for the main hospital and its outlying clinics. To communicate the change to patients, Madigan published its 69th episode of “COVID-19: The Madigan Prevention Minute”.
The popular web-series premieres on the Madigan Facebook page and features the military treatment facility’s commander, Col. Thomas Bundt, engaging in unscripted discussions with various Madigan subject matter experts about COVID-19 prevention as well as keeping Madigan’s beneficiaries informed about changes taking place at the medical center and its outlying clinics to combat the deadly pandemic.
The new policy, which took effect on June 16, states that all patients in the hospital, emergency room and outlying clinics/appointments may have one adult visitor. This new policy is subject to restrictions and exceptions in certain cases and comes as part of Madigan’s phased reopening.
“There’s a lot of nuances to this and there are a lot of variations,” said Bundt. “There are some areas were we take a little bit more risk, in other areas we have to mitigate much more, and we want to make sure that we're giving you the latest information.”
The most recent episode of the series titled, “Visitation Policy Update,” featured Lt. Col. Danielle Molinar, Madigan’s chief of Maternal Services, who has played an integral role in updating the visitation policy throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Subjects related to Madigan’s visitation policy like screening, face masks, hand hygiene, inpatient and outpatient guidelines, among other key topics, were discussed.
All patients, visitors and staff will continue to be screened prior to entering the facility for any COVID-19 symptoms based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) screening criteria. Any person with COVID-19 symptoms or known exposure will not be permitted to enter the facility and will be routed for testing at the screening tent during operating hours. After hours, those who screen positive for COVID-19 symptoms will be routed to the Emergency Department (ED) or be informed to return to the screening tent, set up outside the facility, the following day.
“This is tactical level of the battle against COVID-19,” Bundt explained. “We want to make sure that we're all doing our part to maintain non-pharmaceutical interventions in terms of mitigating the spread of COVID-19.”
Madigan has proactively implemented a facility-wide face mask requirement. All patients, visitors and staff (over the age of 2) are required to wear a face mask or facial covering at all times when entering the hospital, ED or outlying clinics.
“We're asking everyone who comes to the facility to wear a universal mask. If you don't have a mask, we will provide one for you and that'll be required for anyone that comes to the facility over the age of two,” said Molinar. “We ask that everyone continue to wear the mask throughout the facility.”
The mandatory face covering requirement at Madigan was enacted preemptively in May as a preventive measure to reduce the risk of exposure to COVID-19. Madigan’s COVID-19 response has seen many precautionary measures taken to protect patients and staff that have later been enacted for the general public. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced on June 23 that effective Friday, June 26, face coverings will be mandatory in public, both indoors and outdoors, when it’s not possible to maintain six feet of distance from others.
“I will be honest with you, if today you were walking around anywhere outside your house and you do not have your mask on you, I would question that philosophy,” added Bundt. “We have heard it from the governor, we’ve heard it from our commanding general, and we’ve heard it from all the medical health authorities across the entire nation. You should be accompanied with your mask; just as you are with your wallet, your car keys or sunglasses.”
Each entry point to the facility is also staffed with personnel who will require anyone entering to perform hand hygiene.
“We're also going to ask that everybody does hand hygiene upon entry and hand sanitizer dispensers are at every access point for you to utilize,” Molinar added.
Social distancing, another key component of the visitation policy, has been proven to help slow the spread of COVID-19. Instructions and signage for areas like waiting rooms and lounges are in place to ensure six feet of physical distance is maintained throughout the facility. Madigan’s dining hall, The Madigan Grille, has social distancing signage and has modified its check-out process to ensure distancing is practiced.
Madigan’s main Outpatient Pharmacy adapted its operations to keep its staff and patients safe, while still providing needed medications by utilizing its drive-thru as the sole point of service. This measure has eliminated the risk of exposure in its waiting area for Madigan’s patients.
More details about the visitation policy can be found on the Madigan website. Here are a few additional policy changes:
-Hospital (Inpatient) Visitation Restrictions:
- Visiting hours will be restricted to 8:00 am -7:00 pm.
- No visitors under the age of 18 will be allowed.
- Visitors will be strongly encouraged to limit going “in and out” of the facility during their visit.
- No visitors will be allowed in rooms of patients who have tested positive for COVID-19 or who are being tested for COVID-19, except for pediatric or end of life/critically ill patients.
-Hospital (Inpatient) Visitation Exceptions:
- Labor and delivery (L&D), Postpartum, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), and inpatient Pediatric unit (4N) will be authorized two (2) ADULT visitors during their stay. No more than two (2) visitors a day, and no more than two visitors in the room at one time.
- After delivery when the mother is transferred to the postpartum unit, only one ADULT visitor will be authorized to stay overnight. This second adult will be required to leave by 1900.
- L&D, NICU, PICU, and 4N are not restricted to visiting hours.
- Any L&D, postpartum, PICU, or inpatient Pediatric patient (4N) that has tested positive for COVID-19 or who is being tested for COVID-19, will be permitted only one ADULT visitor , and must remain in the patient room until discharge. If they leave the facility, they will not be permitted to return without an exception.
- Any NICU patient who has tested positive for COVID-19 or who is being tested for COVID-19 will not be permitted visitors at this time.
- End of Life/ Palliative Care/critically ill may have two (2) ADULT visitors a day, and no more than two visitors in one room at a time. These visitors are not limited to visiting hours.
- Further exceptions to this policy may be made on a case-by-case basis in concert with the multi-disciplinary care team at the discretion of the Attending Physician of Record.
-All Outpatient Clinics, Outpatient Surgery & Procedures: Restrictions/ Exceptions:
- Each patient is allowed one ADULT visitor during their outpatient clinic appointment.
- Although visitation changes for ALL outpatient clinic appointments start June 16, 2020, Winder clinic will not start until June 22, 2020 when they resume normal operations.
- One (1) ADULT visitor will be permitted for outpatient Pediatric appointments. Siblings are not permitted without exception.
- One (1) ADULT visitor will be permitted for L&D triage (outpatient) examination. No children are permitted.
- Ancillary clinics to include Radiology and Laboratory are not permitting visitors at this time due to limited waiting spaces which cannot facilitate social distancing guidelines
- Pediatric patients and those with physical limitations will be allowed one (1) ADULT visitor.
- Each adult patient undergoing surgery or a procedure is allowed one (1) ADULT visitor during their care and must follow visiting hours.
- Pediatric surgical patients are allowed two (2) ADULT visitors during their care. These visitors are not limited to visiting hours.
- Further exceptions to this policy may be made on a case-by-case basis in concert with the multi-disciplinary care team at the discretion of the Attending Physician of Record.
Emergency Room (ER) Services: Restrictions & Exceptions:
- Each patient is allowed one (1) ADULT visitor during their ER visit. All visitors of non-acute ER patients who wish to remain in the waiting areas will be asked to wait in their car to ensure social distancing.
- Each pediatric patient receiving care in the ER is allowed two (2) ADULT visitors.
- No visitors will be allowed in rooms of patients who have tested positive for COVID-19 or who are being tested for COVID-19, except for Pediatric or end of life/critically ill patients.
- Further exceptions to this policy may be made on a case-by-case basis in concert with the multi-disciplinary care team at the discretion of the Attending Physician of Record.
Madigan Visitation Policy: https://www.mamc.health.mil/visitors/visitation-guidelines.aspx
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