EVANSVILLE, Ind. (AP) -- Some Indiana hospitals are making their visitation policies more restrictive in an effort to stem the spread of swine flu. The Evansville Courier & Press reports that Deaconess and St. Mary's hospitals in Evansville are asking younger people not to visit the hospitals. Both hospitals are allowing no more than two visitors per patient at a time and are asking people of all ages not to visit if they have flulike symptoms or have been exposed to the flu. Deaconess public relations director Sam Rogers said the new policy has drawn mixed reactions.
"In any case when you implement a policy like this that's fairly restrictive, some people understand and some people don't understand, but it's just to prevent the spread of H1N1 as much as we can," Rogers said. "I think you'll see a bigger issue with maternity, because you'll have (young) siblings who will want to get in and see mom and the new baby." Deaconess' new policy states that children younger than 17 cannot visit. St. Mary's is discouraging visits from those 24 and younger, pregnant women and those with chronic medical conditions. The hospital is also urging parents to leave children at home if they come to the hospital for outpatient appointments. Hospital spokesman Rick Peltier said the hospital has had to ask some visitors under age 24 to leave. "I can tell you there have been some unhappy people," he said. Even visitors who are allowed in the hospitals must follow special precautions. Deaconess is requiring visitors entering or leaving patient rooms to wash their hands or use hand sanitizer provided by the hospital. St. Mary's is providing masks and hand sanitizer to visitors. Rogers noted that the restrictions -- which are temporary -- aren't set in stone. "If someone's grandmother is in our hospital and dying, we're going to make some exceptions to that," Rogers said. Information from: Evansville Courier & Press, http://www.courierpress.com
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