Allegheny Health Network To Screen All Visitors Prior To Entry At All Hospitals
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Allegheny Health Network is now planning to screen all visitors at their affiliated hospitals to assess their risk of having an infectious respiratory illness.
"With the first documented cases of COVID-19 in our region this week, we continue to look at every opportunity to further safeguard our patients and caregivers during this challenging time for our community," said Brian Parker, AHN's Chief Quality Officer. "It is abundantly clear that one effective way to prevent the spread of illness in a health care facility is to limit the number of people who are visiting patients and interacting with caregivers. We understand this is a temporary inconvenience for our patient's friends and family members, but it's one that we believe is in the very best interests of everyone."
As of last week, all AHN hospitals set a limit on the number of visitors in a patient's room to one at a time. Exceptions are made for patients receiving end-of-life care and in the labor and delivery suites and neonatal intensive care units. Those situations and units were allowed two visitors.
When visitors enter an AHN hospital, they will be asked two questions: Have you traveled domestically or internationally in the last 14 days? & Do you have a cough or a fever?
If the visitor answers yes to either, they will not be allowed to enter.
AHN is also reducing the number of entrances at each hospital in order to manage the new screenings.
