COVID-19, a strain of the coronavirus, is causing changes to daily life and is changing health care the most.
In response, the Winston Medical Center and all the Senior Care Centers (nursing homes) in the county are taking measures to help reassure residents that everything possible is being done to guard against the virus.
Out of an abundance of caution, Winston Medical Center is implementing the following precautions related to patient and visitor access to the hospital or any of its medical facilities. Effectively immediately:
• Hospital inpatients are limited to 1 visitor over the age of 18 at a time during their hospitalization.
•Patients coming to any Winston Medical Center facility for any reason are asked to limit those accompanying them to 1 person.
•Winston Medical Center Senior Care Services has taken the safeguards recommended by the CDC and MSDH agencies, and have gone on lockdown at this time NOT permitting outside visitors.
•Magnolia Café is closed to the general public.
In addition, anyone exhibiting flu like symptoms is asked to contact their healthcare provider for instruction. If you are not experiencing symptoms, please do not come to the Emergency Room requesting to be tested. At this time, the only patients who will be tested for COVID-19 are those who meet the testing criteria outlined by the Centers for Disease Control.
As a precautionary measure and in an effort to keep our patients as safe as possible, all Winston Medical Clinic locations are requesting that patients:
• call upon arrival to the clinic and wait in the car until the nurse calls you
• limit the number of visitors that accompany you to your appointment
Winston Medical Clinic – Hospital Campus (662) 773-3503
Noxapater Clinic – (662) 724-4051
Main Street Clinic – (662) 773-5704
“This is for the safety of our community and we appreciate in advance everyone’s cooperation in helping us maintain a safe environment for our patients, residents, visitors and staff during this challenging time,” stated the hospital spokesperson.
Temporary Revised Visitation Policy
Winston Medical Center is committed to keeping our patients, staff, and visitors safe as we respond to mthe spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). As part of our commitment, we are taking proactive measures to help prevent the introduction and spread of COVID-19 at our facility. Based on the increasing incidence of COVID-19, effective noon on Monday, March 16, and until further notice,
Winston Medical Center will implement a revised visitor policy at our hospital facility as follows:
• Patients are permitted to have one visitor except in certain circumstances outlined below.
The exceptions to this revised visitor policy include:
• Patients who have been determined by the care team to be at the “end-of-life” may be visited by members of the immediate family.
•Patients who have an outpatient appointment at Winston Medical Center, as well as those visiting the Emergency Department, may be accompanied by one visitor. The visitor must stay in the waiting area during their time in the hospital facility.
• Visitors are not permitted in isolation rooms under any circumstances.
• Every effort will be made to grant requests from a patient or family member for a visit from a chaplain, chaplain intern, Eucharistic minister, community clergy or other spiritual advisor.
Other exceptions not listed above will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
All patients and visitors needing to enter a hospital facility, including for an outpatient appointment at
Winston Medical Center will enter through the main Hospital Entrance.
All patients and visitors will be screened at the entrance listed above. Patients who exhibit
symptoms associated with respiratory illness (fever, runny nose, cough, shortness of breath) or
report they have recently visited an area identified as a location experiencing a COVID-19
outbreak will receive further evaluation to determine next steps. Visitors that meet any of that
criteria will not be allowed to enter under any circumstances.
Visitors allowed entrance according to the revised policy or under one of the above listed exceptions
must stay in the patients' room or associated waiting room during the entirety of their visit until ready
to leave the facility. Exceptions to this should be requested from and granted by the unit’s nursing staff.
Approved visitors who leave the hospital outside of the revised visiting hours will not be able to re-enter the hospital until the following day. The revised visiting hours are 6:30 a.m.-7 p.m. We encourage our patient families to consider remote visits using telephone or video chat. In addition to visitation restrictions, frequent handwashing is always encouraged to protect our patients, employees, and visitors from the spread of germs and viruses. The safety of our patients and personnel is always our top priority, and we will continue to do all we can to ensure a safe environment to give and receive care.
Total Cases 21* as of Tuesday, March 17 9 a.m.
