Bladen County Hospital updates visitation guidelines amid rise in respiratory illnesses

BLADEN COUNTY, NC (WWAY) —  Cape Fear Valley Health System is updating visitation and masking guidelines at its facilities, including Bladen County Hospital, due to an increase in respiratory illnesses across the region.

The changes take effect Friday, Dec. 26, 2025, and are aimed at protecting patients, visitors and staff as illnesses such as Influenza A continue to spread.

Under the updated guidance, visitors must be at least 12 years old in most areas of Bladen County Hospital. Minors between the ages of 12 and 17 must be accompanied by an adult. Hospital officials are asking anyone who is feeling unwell or experiencing respiratory symptoms, including cough, fever, sore throat or congestion, to avoid visiting. Visitors who are feeling well are encouraged to wear a mask while in patient care areas.

Masks are now required for all patients and visitors in waiting rooms, including those in emergency departments, ExpressCare locations, surgery, imaging and outpatient clinics.

Visiting hours remain from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Patients may have up to two visitors at a time. One visitor may stay overnight if space allows, but overnight visitors must arrive before 8 p.m. and are not allowed to leave and return until visiting hours resume. Additional restrictions remain in place for patients under isolation precautions.

In the emergency department, visitors are not permitted in the waiting room unless the patient is 65 years or older or is cognitively impaired, regardless of age. Those patients may have one visitor with them during waiting or triage. Other patients may have one visitor once they are placed in a treatment room, and visitors are allowed to leave and return. In the pediatric emergency department, one parent or guardian may be in the waiting room, and once a child is placed in a room, two parents or guardians are allowed.

Several unit-specific guidelines also apply. Cancer centers require all visitors to be at least 12 years old and accompanied by an adult, with no visitors under 18 allowed in chemotherapy infusion areas. Masks are strongly encouraged in those spaces. Labor and delivery units allow up to three designated support people who are at least 16 years old, and while those support people may come and go, they cannot switch with others. Pediatric units and the PICU allow parents or legal guardians to visit at any time, but visitors ages 12 to 17 must be accompanied and may not stay overnight, with no more than two visitors at a time. In the NICU, two banded visitors and four additional designated visitors are allowed, with only two at the bedside at once. Overnight stays are not permitted, and siblings may visit on weekends if they are at least 12 years old and symptom-free.

Patients who need help with healthcare decisions or communication may have one care companion with them at all times. End-of-life patients may have up to four visitors at the bedside, with visitors rotating as needed. Compassionate exceptions may be approved by nursing supervisors.

“These respiratory seasonal updates allow us to reduce the spread of respiratory illness in shared spaces while still supporting the important role visitors play in patient care and healing,” said Dr. Michael Ruzek, chief quality officer for Cape Fear Valley Health.

The health system’s infection prevention team says it is closely monitoring illness trends and will adjust guidelines as conditions change.