October 13, 2020 –
FREEPORT, Ill., October 13, 2020 -- Due to recent surging of COVID-19 cases in Northwest Illinois, FHN has issued stricter visitor policies for all FHN locations, including FHN Memorial Hospital, to help slow the spread of this highly contagious disease.
Effective Wednesday, October 14, no visitors will be allowed in the hospital for patients hospitalized for general treatment/procedures except for emergencies or end-of-life situations. In the Emergency Room and Birthing Center,
patients may have one visitor per day, and
Pediatrics, patients may have two parents or guardians per day. Throughout the hospital, no visitors under age 18 are permitted.
FHN office practices, including Family Healthcare Centers and Specialty Care clinics, request that patients attend their appointments alone if possible; if needed, one significant other will be allowed. For patients under the age of 18, two parents or guardians will be allowed. Throughout FHN, including office practices, all patients and any accompanying individuals must wear masks.
"These heightened restrictions reflect the surge in cases of COVID-19 throughout FHN's service area and are being implemented for the health and safety of FHN's patients, staff, and providers as well as the public at large," said Kathryn J. Martinez, MSN, RN, FACHE, FHN's Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer/Chief Nursing Officer. "As we move into colder weather where we'll all be spending more time indoors, we know that people are experiencing pandemic fatigue in following the safety procedures recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as the Illinois Department of Public Health. However, we know that we are going to be impacted by COVID-19 for quite some time to come. Please continue to protect yourself and others by washing your hands frequently, maintaining social distance, and wearing a mask, and contact your provider if you think you may be ill."
For more details on visitor restrictions and information about the pandemic in general, visit the COVID-19 section of FHN's website, where a free online screening tool for COVID-19 can also be found.