Cape Fear Valley Health updates public visitation and staff mask policies

FAYETTEVILLE, NC (WWAY) — Cape Fear Valley Health says that they will raise the minimum age requirement for visitation from 6 to 12 years old in most areas. All minors must be accompanied by an adult.

Visitation hours remain from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Visitors with symptoms of a fever or respiratory illness symptoms, including cough or shortness of breath, should remain home.

“We’re seeing a lot of respiratory illness in our Emergency Departments and everywhere else,” said Vice President of Operations and Development Brian Pearce. “Limiting younger children from visiting can help protect those children as well as our patients. We encourage everyone to practice good hand hygiene, get their flu vaccine and wear a mask if they are experiencing symptoms but must go out in public.”

Since the beginning of respiratory illness season on Oct. 1, the health system’s emergency departments combined have seen more than 1,250 cases of pneumonia and more than 740 cases of flu. Last year by this time, the health system’s emergency departments had seen only 630 cases of pneumonia, but 3,050 cases of the flu. Pearce said the high number of pneumonia cases this year was worrying.

Staff who are involved in patient care in the following areas will be required to wear a mask during patient care: Emergency Departments, Intensive Care Units, Step-Down, ExpressCare, Long Term Acute Care (LTAC), and in any areas where they are caring for a patient with respiratory illness. In clinics, frontline staff are required to wear a mask for all patient encounters and staff who are in direct patient care of patients with respiratory symptoms are required to wear a mask. Masks are strongly recommended for all other patient encounters.