FREE ACCESS: GCGH announces increased visitor restrictions

According to a press release issued by Greene County General Hospital (GCGH), following the state of Indiana’s declaration of a public health state of emergency, GCGH is increasing visitor restrictions.

The release states, ”As this is a rapidly evolving situation, we will work closely with the local Health Department to evaluate the situation frequently and will be updating restrictions as advised by the Health Department, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH). Per CDC and ISDH guidelines, GCGH has implemented the following visitor restrictions and alerts:

GCGH is limiting access to the hospital via the main lobby outside of normal business hours (Monday-Friday 7 a.m.-5 p.m.).

GCGH is restricting all visitors under the age of 18 and discouraging non-essential visitors. We have also elected to temporarily suspend volunteers in the hospital. Our gift shop will be closed.

GCGH is encouraging everyone to please stay home if you have a fever. Also, please wash your hands and/or use sanitizer frequently.

The CDC is recommending that no one shake hands, hug others or engage in non-essential physical contact.

In addition to the visitor restrictions, GCGH has educated our staff about the CDC and ISDH guidelines during the public health state of emergency. It is important that we are on high alert for potential coronavirus COVID-19 cases.

In the case of a patient suspecting they have the coronavirus; our staff is prepared to respond with the following actions:

• GCGH is prepared to screen patients suspected of a coronavirus infection by asking: has the patient traveled in the past 14-39 days or had contact with someone who has?

Does the patient have the following symptoms: fever, sore throat, cough or shortness of breath?

State and local health officials stressed during a Friday news conference that anyone with symptoms should call their doctor or hospital before seeking care. Advanced notice allows our providers to prepare for the patient’s arrival, reducing exposure to staff and other patients. The GCGH main phone number is 812-847-2281.

Anyone with questions or concerns should call the Indiana State Department of Health coronavirus hotline at 317-233-7125.

The best resources for coronavirus COVID-19 information are the CDC website https://www.cdc.gov/ and the ISDH website www.in.gov/isdh/