CJ Staff Writer
Some five weeks after introducing additional visit-ation precautions to help curb the flu, officials at Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital have announced they are relaxing restrictions a bit.
According to Judy Keen, RN, BSN, CIC, Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital Infection Control Preventionist, the number of flu cases at the hospital has decreased significantly.
“We have been closely monitoring the number of cases of flu and flu-like symptoms we have treated in our emergency department,” stated Keen. “And the number of cases we are seeing in our emergency department at this time has decreased by about 50 percent.”
Keen noted the peak of flu cases at the hospital occurred during the last week of October, but even during the peak, very few patients required hospitalization.
The decrease in flu cases experienced locally seems to be a trend that is consistent throughout the state as well. The most recent weekly update from the Kentucky Department of Public Health stated that the “current wave of H1N1 seems to have peaked” in Kentucky.
When flu became more widespread throughout the area, the hospital implemented their pandemic flu plan, introducing initial flu precautions on October 3. The first wave of precautions included commonsense safety measures, however, slightly less than two weeks later the hospital introduced a second, more advanced level of precautions in response to an inpatient death that occurred as a result of H1N1.
The second level of the pandemic flu plan including limiting access to the hospital to only two doors: the emergency department and the entrance at the main level of the parking garage.
Along with the limited access, all individuals who entered the hospital were screened for flu and flu-like symptoms by completing a question-naire. Masks were also made available at the screening table for individuals who merited extra protection.
Fortunately, the add-itional flu precautions were very effective. According to Keen, the hospital hasn’t experienced a single case of hospital-acquired influenza since the precautions were intro-duced.
As a result of the decrease in cases, the hospital will be removing the second, more limiting level of precautions.
“Beginning Monday, November 23, all of our regular access doors to the hospital will be reopened,” said Keen.
Patients and guests will be able to enter through any of three entrances: the main front door entrance and both parking garage entrances. The emergency department entrance, however, will continue to be limited only for emergency department patients. Patients with flu and flu-like symptoms will continue to be segregated from the rest of the emergency department population to help curb the spread of the disease.
“We hope people will continue to be vigilant in watching out for flu and flu-like symptoms, even though we are relaxing some of the restrictions,” said Keen, who noted that the first level of flu precautions will continue to stay in effect — at least for the time being.
These precautions include:
• No children under the age of 18 will be permitted in the hospital, unless they are coming to seek care.
• Visitation is limited to individuals with NO signs or symptoms of influenza.
• The maternal child, postpartum, labor and delivery and pediatric units will continue to limit visitors to immediate family only and no children under the age of 18.
• Patients who come to the hospital for care with flu-like symptoms will be asked to wear a mask.
Masks are available at every initial point of contact in the hospital.
• Patients with flu-like symptoms who come to the emergency department for care will be segregated from patients with non flu-like symptoms. They will also be treated in an area separate from other emergency department patients.
“We happy to be able to relax our precautions a bit,” stated Keen. “And we are very grateful to our community for their understanding and for their continued cooperation as we maintain our efforts to help keep patients, guests and employees flu-free.”
Hospital officials stated they will continue to monitor the local flu situation and make further adjustments as needed.
In the meantime, they are encouraging comm-unity members to stay vigilant and wash their hands often, cover their coughs and sneezes, and contain the disease — stay away from other if they’re sick.
