Chatham Hospital to restrict visitors 18 and younger, effective Oct. 6
Chatham Hospital, like many other hospitals in North Carolina and across the country, is limiting visitation to healthy individuals who are 19 years old or older. This policy goes into effect on Tuesday, Oct. 6.
“We are taking this preventive measure to protect the health and safety of our patients and our employees,” said Carol Straight, President of Chatham Hospital. “Unlike seasonal flu, the H1N1 virus has been most prevalent in children and young adults, and those who are infected may be contagious before they show any signs of illness.”
“For that reason, we are asking that people who have flu-like symptoms (fever, sore throat, chills, body aches, cough, runny or stuffy nose, diarrhea, vomiting and headache) and people who are younger than 19 years old to please refrain from visiting patients at Chatham Hospital. This is a temporary measure, which we expect to lift after the current heightened level of flu activity returns to normal levels,” Straight said.
Several other hospitals in North Carolina have recently limited visitation to people older than 18, including Moses Cone Health System in Greensboro, Duke University Health System in Durham and WakeMed Health & Hospitals in Raleigh. UNC Health Care, which is Chatham Hospital’s parent organization, began limiting visitation to persons 13 years old or older on Monday, Oct. 5.
