Woodwinds lifts some visitor restrictions

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Woodwinds Health Campus and all HealthEast hospitals are lifting visitor restrictions, which were implemented last month to help prevent the spread of H1N1 flu. The hospital visitor policy has been revised because the Minnesota Department of Health downgraded the state’s H1N1 status from “widespread” to “local.”

HealthEast will now:

• Permit children under age 5 to visit, as long as they are healthy. Children in this age group can visit if they are here to see immediate family, including patients in our Maternity Care units.

• Continue to restrict visiting to the neonatal intensive care units and special care nurseries due to the vulnerability of infants in those areas. Siblings will not be allowed to visit. Parents entering the NICU and SCN will be screened for illness daily. Grandparents may visit if accompanied by a parent and participate in a daily screening.

• Lift the screening checkpoints at hospital entries.

• Remain vigilant about protecting our patients, staff and volunteers during influenza season. If sick people must visit due to extenuating circumstances, we will ask that they wear a mask and practice proper hand and respiratory hygiene.

• Allow various tours, including those of Maternity Care units. However, we will ask in advance that ill people not participate in tours.

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