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The change also applies to the Mary Washington's new Freestanding Emergency Department in Spotsylvania County, which opened this morning, and HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital of Fredericksburg, according to a MediCorp Health System announcement.
Color-coded signs at the entrances to the facilities will notify visitors if flu conditions are "green," "yellow" or "red."
"Green," the least restrictive, means that visitors who have the symptoms of a flu-like illness will be barred. Visitors also may be issued masks or other protective clothing.
"Yellow" includes the "green" restrictions but also prohibits visitors under 18.
"Red" is the most restrictive and includes the "green" and "yellow" restrictions.
It also requires visitors to be spouses or significant others, parents or direct caregivers. In addition, no patient may have more than two visitors at a time, and overnight visitation is not allowed.
The "yellow" level will be in effect at both hospitals, the new freestanding ER and at HealthSouth, beginning tomorrow, said Kathleen Allenbaugh, MediCorp spokeswoman.
Officials hope that by changing visitation they can reduce the spread of seasonal and H1N1 flu and protect those in the hospital. Swine flu in particular is widespread in the Fredericksburg area.
Hospital workers formed a pandemic flu task force in September to protect staff, doctors, volunteers, patients and visitors. The group has worked with the state Health Department and an alliance the Northern Virginia hospitals to monitor flu levels and adjust hospital policies.
The emergency departments at both Mary Washington and Stafford Hospital have been busy treating patients with flu-like illnesses.
Mary Washington's ER now has a designated waiting area for patients with flu, and it is common to see ER patients wearing facemasks.
But neither hospital has seen an increase in admissions because of the flu, Allenbaugh said.
"We haven't had the trending that other hospitals have had, but we know it's imminent so we're being proactive," she said.
Eileen Dohmann, vice president for nursing, recently described swine flu as a "treat-and-release" disease.
"People are coming into the emergency department. They're getting treatment, and they're getting sent home," she said.
With the change in visitation, Mary Washington and Stafford join many other hospitals in Virginia that have limited the numbers and types of visitors.
Culpeper, Fauquier and Potomac hospitals have restricted visitation to adults only. And 12 hospitals in the Richmond area said yesterday that patients may have no more than two adult visitors at a time.
The changes come as the incidence of the H1N1 virus has reached record levels in Virginia.
Dr. Karen Remley, state health commissioner, said Friday that the percentage of emergency-room and urgent-care visits in Virginia for suspected flu is now at 14.2 percent, an all-time high. That number never went higher than 7 percent in the last two flu seasons, she said.
Remley also said that the numbers may soon start to decline, based on the experience of other states. Virginia appears to be in the "middle of the epidemic curve," she said.
Jim Hall: 540/374-5433
Email: jhall@freelancestar.com
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