News

Local facilities stop visitation due to seasonal illnesses

By Scott Wagar

01/13/2015

To take precautions from seasonal illnesses, St. Andrew’s Health Center has stopped visitation in its hospital. 

“Based on the number of sick people, and for safety of the employees and our patients, we’ve put restrictions on visitations to help with the spread of the influenza, colds and flues,” said Jodi Atkinson, president and CEO of St. Andrew’s Health Center.

“So far, we have been pretty fortunate because our swing bed patients have all stayed pretty healthy.”

The health center has also taken precaution beyond letting visitors in its facilities to protect its patients, residents and staff. 

“In our swing bed population we don’t have any activities in the common areas and we keep the patients in their rooms to eat their meals so we are not bringing everybody together. So, if somebody has some type of exposure, or is sick, you are not passing it along,” Atkinson said. “St. Andrew’s also has masks; so, we are asking patients that if they have a cough to mask. We do all this to help control the spread of influenza and traditional colds.”

Atkinson added that the clinic also has masks for individuals to stop the spread of infection.

The Good Samaritan Society-Bottineau also has restrained visitations at its facility for the same reason this winter season and have followed a similar protocol to St. Andrew’s to prevent the spread of illnesses. 

It is uncertain in how long visitation will not take place, or the current precautions St. Andrew’s is taking on its floors due to the unknown time period of these illnesses.

Since the last update of the North Dakota Department of Health pertaining to influenza cases in Bottineau County, the county has increased from five Type A unspecific cases to 29 cases, or an increase of 480 percent.