Wilkes-Barre General Hospital is seen earlier this week.
Aimee Dilger | Times Leader
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Hospitals and health care organizations have enacted visitation restrictions as they look to halt the spread of the coronavirus.
That includes hospitals and clinics connected with the Commonwealth Health and Geisinger organizations, as well as the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
Commonwealth
At Commonwealth Health, which includes a number of facilities all over the valley, visitor protocols have been modified going back to January in order to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Updated policies include signage informing visitors with fever or other respiratory illnesses that they are not permitted to visit the hospital and not allowing anyone under the age of 12 to visit.
“Other providers in the area are implementing similar practices and we are asking for the community’s understanding and compliance,” said Annmarie Poslock, a spokeswoman for Commonwealth Health, in a statement released on Tuesday.
Geisinger
According to Geisinger’s website, non-essential visitors displaying symptoms of respiratory illness including coughing, fever, runny nose and shortness of breath are asked to refrain from visiting patients until they are feeling well again.
For essential visitors, including parents, spouses and primary caregivers, masks will be provided by the front desk and Guest Services associates, which visitors are required to wear at all times during their visit to any Geisinger clinics or hospitals.
These policies have been enacted to protect patients and their family members, as well as the Geisinger staff, from coming into contact and possibly contracting the coronavirus, according to their website.
VA Medical Center
The Wilkes-Barre Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Plains Township shared a post to Facebook on Tuesday saying that while there have been no cases of COVID-19 identified in patients or staff, the hospital is implementing pre-screening for anyone entering the building.
“Under no circumstances will a veteran be denied necessary care, these are precautionary measures to ensure safe and effective care delivery,” the center said on Facebook.
In addition, visiting hours in the medical ward have been limited from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The chapel entrance to the medical center will be open from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m., while the main and emergency room entrances will be open 24 hours.
