WELLSVILLE, NY (March 17, 2020) – To maintain a safe
environment for Jones Memorial Hospital (JMH) patients, families, and staff and
reduce exposure to the Coronavirus, JMH is restricting visitor
hours and rescheduling routine outpatient appointments and elective surgeries
at the hospital and the Medical Practices.
Effective immediately, there will is a ZERO visitors policy
for adult patients. Pediatric patients may have one guardian visitor and OB
patients may have ONE support person with them throughout labor and delivery.
The hospital is also asking people NOT to come to the hospital for routine laboratory
testing until further notice. Patients of the Jones Memorial Medical Practices
may be asked to reschedule office appointments and the rehabilitation
department may contact patients about rescheduling their therapy. Testing done
at ancillary locations, such as the Women’s Health Office, will also be
rescheduled. The Jones Memorial Hospital café is closed to the public until
further notice.
“The overall goal is to minimize traffic at the hospital and
decrease potential exposure to the Coronavirus,” explained Eva Benedict, CEO at
Jones. “By reducing the number of office appointments and elective tests and
surgeries, we are freeing up resources for patients needing acute care.”
Beginning today, there will be a screening table in the
lobby. Anyone coming into the facility will have to stop and answer a few basic
questions before being allowed to proceed into the building.
In addition, the Jones Memorial Medical Practices will be
contacting patients to reschedule routine appointments and surgeries. These adjustments
to the providers’ schedules are made with the objective of freeing up capacity
and resources for acutely ill patients. To encourage social distancing and
reduce infection risk, the number of chairs in the waiting areas will be
reduced.
“Jones Memorial Hospital, our medical practices, and other
clinics will remain open for our community members. These measures will also
allow the most critical patients to get the care they need and to follow the
precautions promoted by the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health
Organization,” said Mrs. Benedict. “Patient safety is always our number one
concern.”
