AtlantiCare enhances visitor restrictions; cancels elective surgeries

AtlantiCare

As of noon, March 19, AtlantiCare enhanced visitor restrictions that had already prohibited nearly all hospital visitors. These include that trauma and emergency patients can only have visitors or support persons if they have severe emergencies.

No hospital visitors will be allowed until further notice, with the limited exceptions of:

• The emergency and trauma departments will determine the number of visitors for severe medical emergencies only, such as heart attack, trauma or stroke.


• AtlantiCare will continue to determine the number of visitors on a case-by-case basis for patients in hospice or end-of-life care.


• Maternal child health and pediatric patients may have one visitor/support person.


• Patients having same-day, out-patient surgeries or other procedures or tests may have one visitor/support person.


• AtlantiCare has already cancelled all truly elective procedures, while identifying and prioritizing time-sensitive cases with strong clinical indications that the procedures must be completed in the near future.

AtlantiCare will screen visitors and support persons who meet the above exceptions for symptoms of flu, coronaviruses and other illnesses before allowing them to enter the facility.

We have made this decision in an abundance of caution to protect our patients, visitors, staff and providers from COVID-19 and other illnesses, said Manish Trivedi, M.D., director of the Division of Infectious Diseases. We continue to urge members of the community to call their primary care provider or pediatrician before seeking care in any medical setting for themselves, their children or other family member for symptoms of flu, coronaviruses, or other respiratory illnesses. We appreciate the community's support and cooperation as we work together to prevent spread of coronaviruses and other illnesses.

We know being separated from loved ones especially if you are sick or injured is hard, Chief Nursing Officer Kathy Birkenstock said. We are reassuring hospitalized patients by calling family members to keep them involved in care and connected with each other. We always approach patient care as if patients were members of our own families. During this time we are especially humbled by the privilege we have to care for them and our community.

AtlantiCare has information and resources about COVID-19 on its website at www.atlanticare.org/coronavirus/.

Members of the community who do not have a primary care provider or pediatrician can call the AtlantiCare Access Center at 1-888-569-1000 for assistance in finding one.