No visitors at hospitals in Kingston, Dutchess
The operators of the two HealthAlliance hospitals in Kingston, Northern Dutchess Hospital in Rhinebeck and Vassar Brothers Medical Center in Poughkeepsie have banned visitors due to concerns about the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19.
HealthAlliance said on its website that visitors were banned at its Broadway and Mary’s Avenue campuses in Midtown Kingston as of Monday, though pediatric and labor/delivery patients will be allowed one designated support person each.
Exceptions also may be made in extenuating circumstances, such as end-of-life care, HealthAlliance said.
The company also said any patient who arrives with symptoms of COVID-19 “will be masked and escorted to an isolated and contained area for additional evaluation and care in cooperation with public health agencies .... ”
Visitors also are banned at MidHudson Regional Hospital, which, like the HealthAlliance proprieties, is owned by Westchester Medical Center Health Network.
Nuvance Health, which operates Northern Dutchess Hospital and Vassar Brothers Medical Center, said in a prepared statement: “To continuously ensure a healthy and safe environment for patients and staff during the COVID-19 pandemic, effectively immediately,
no visitors are allowed at any Nuvance Health hospital or facility until further notice.”
Nuvance also has established a COVID-19 hotline at (888) 667-9262. It can be reached from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day.
Exceptions to Nuvance’s visitation ban are:
• Active labor and delivery, for which the patient can have one person present.
• Pediatrics, neonatal intensive care and the nursery, for which two parents/ guardians are allowed per patient.
• Extenuating circumstances, for which the patient’s care team will discuss
options. The circumstances can include end-of-life care, life-threatening admissions to the hospital, a patient’s need for a support person to thrive, situations in which a legal guardian must be present, and situations in which a translator is needed.
Visitors who are allowed in will be subject to screenings
for risk factors of COVID-19, Nuvance said.
Patients who have COVID-19, or are suspected to have it, will not be allowed any visitors.
For local coverage related to the coronavirus, go to bit.ly/DFCOVID19. For live updates, visit bit.ly/DFcovid19live.