4 months ago
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Starting today, children under 17 will not be allowed to visit patients at five local hospitals this flu season.The chief nurses from Houston Healthcare, The Medical Center of Central Georgia and Coliseum hospitals say children under the age of 17 pose the greatest risk of spreading the H1N1 virus to patents who are already sick.
6th grader at Rutland Middle School Ashley Roberts falls into the age group classified as most at risk for the H1N1 virus.
That's why her mother Ammie Cole brought her to the Macon-Bibb County Health Department for the flu and the H1N1 vaccines.
Cole said, "I'm scared of the flu that's going around. I don't want my daughter to catch it."
Cole knows Ashley could pick-up the germs at school and bring them home.
Health leaders don't want children bringing those same germs into hospitals.
Barbara Stickel, Chief Nursing Officer for the Medical Center of Central Georgia, said, "17 and younger have the greatest opportunity for the exposure to H1N1 virus, and so we just increase opportunity to our already vulnerable patients of being exposed to the virus at a weak opporunity and could also pick up that virus."
There will be exceptions to the rules decided on a case by case basis by the nursing staff. For example, if the child is the primary caregiver, then they can be allowed into the hospital."
Mindy Hartley, Chief Nursing Assistant at Houston Healthcare, said, "If you have a critically ill patient who is imminently dying, we would want to respect that and have those loved one's in there."
But access to the labor and delivery wings will be tightly controlled, with only one person in the delivery room and a limited number of visitors after the child's birth.
Barbara Stickel said, "We want everyone to respect if you're under 17, you really don't need to be at the hospital campuses this flu season."
Dr. David Harvey said three people have died from the H1N1 virus within the North Central Health District. He said all three had other "severe, underlying diseases."
Visitation restrictions will start November 2nd, and stay in place until H1N1 cases subside at area hospitals.
The hospitals say people with questions on the policy can call these numbers:
- Coliseum Medical Centers - (478) 765-4801
- Coliseum Northside Hospital- (478)757-5990
- Houston Medical Center - (478) 975-6703, (478) 975-6702, or After 4:30 p.m. and on weekends, 975-5662
- Perry Hospital - (478)218-1960 or (478)218-1971 after 7 p.m. and on weekends
- The Medical Center of Central Georgia - (478)633-1412 or (478)633-6494.
