To protect patients and staff, Mission Health has elevated its visitor restrictions to Level 3 at all locations, including Angel Medical Center, Blue Ridge Regional Hospital, CareParters, Highlands-Cashiers Hospital, Mission Hospital McDowell and Transylvania Regional Hospital. Level 3 visitation was implemented at Mission Hospital in Asheville on Dec. 18.
The exception will be for pediatric patients, who will be allowed to have one adult visitor with them at a time. Limited other special situations will be reviewed on individual cases.
“The health and safety of our patients and team members is our top priority and we are taking the rising number of COVID cases very seriously,” said William Hathaway, Chief Medical Officer, Mission Health/HCA North Carolina Division. “We realize this may be difficult for some patients and wish the situation were different, but we are taking every precaution to protect those in our care and our colleagues by reducing the risk of exposure to the virus.”
Mission Health uses established protocols to care for patients with infectious diseases and follows CDC guidelines related to COVID-19 cases, including isolating the patients and taking steps to ensure the safety of our patients, employees and visitors.
“These updates are meant to keep our colleagues and patients healthy. We want to ensure that we remain a continual resource for the communities we serve,” said Hathaway. “We are grateful that we have been able to begin vaccinating our team, but we implore our community and staff to remain vigilant in the 3Ws – wear a mask, wait 6 feet apart, wash your hands – to stop the spread of this illness.”
As a reminder to protect yourself and prevent the spread of illnesses:
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth
- Stay home when you are ill
- Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue
- Practice good hand hygiene by washing your hands often, using either soap and water or alcohol-based hand gel for at least 20 seconds
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces
For information, visit Missionhealth.org/covid-19.