Carthage hospital limits visitations

CARTHAGE — Carthage Area Hospital recently placed new restrictions on hospital visitations to protect patients from influenza and other infectious diseases.

The new regulations were made effective Wednesday under the recommendation of the state Department of Health. The same regulations will apply to the Skilled Nursing Unit and the Critical Care Unit.

Visitors to the hospital may not be under age 18 and must be part of the patient's immediate family. Any visitor with respiratory symptoms, including fever, cough, sore throat or shortness of breath, as well as visitors with a rash or diarrhea, are requested not to visit. Only two visitors are allowed in a patient's room at one time. The number of visitors to laboring mothers is limited to one. Visitors also should sign in at the switchboard or the patient information desk in the main lobby to obtain a visitor's pass.

Hospital staff asks that visitors use hand-washing stations before entering and after leaving a patient's room. Hand sanitizers are available at hospital entrances and other locations throughout the facility.