As of March 14, 2020, North Baldwin Infirmary, an affiliate of Infirmary Health, has received its first positive case of COVID-19 (Coronavirus). This patient is currently isolated in their home, and the staff who cared for the patient exercised universal precautions to protect themselves and others from contracting the virus. We will continue to work with the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) and Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to stay abreast of the latest developments with COVID-19.
“Infirmary Health is dedicated to maintaining the safety of our patients and staff. We activated our existing Emergency Preparedness and Influx of Infectious Patients policies in early February, and since then, we have developed additional processes to properly screen and isolate patients who present to our facilities and meet the CDC criteria for the virus,” Mark Nix, Infirmary Health President and Chief Executive Officer, states. “Those additional processes include screening all patients through the admissions and emergency departments. Patients suspected of COVID-19 are provided with a facemask and isolated from the healthy population. Our staff and providers also wear personal protective equipment while caring for patients in isolation. Additionally, we have implemented travel restrictions and staff precautions to keep all parties safe.”
In order to continue to protect our patients, staff and communities, on March 13, 2020, Infirmary Health implemented a revised visitor policy for each of our acute care and rehabilitation facilities. Currently, Infirmary Health patients are permitted to two visitors per day. All visitors and vendors must enter the facility through a designated point of entry. We appreciate the community’s cooperation with these revised policies until further notice. This policy is subject to change at any time.
If you have traveled to an area with known COVID-19 outbreaks or have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, call your healthcare provider and tell them about your symptoms, travel history and your exposure. For more information on COVID-19, please visit cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV.
As always, Infirmary Health is here to provide exceptional care to all of our patients at all of our facilities. We will continue to serve our communities with the healthcare they need and appreciate their support during this time.
