With Mississippi now having a growing number of presumptive cases of the Coronavirus (COVID-19), hospitals across the state are starting to limit patient visitation. “South Central Regional Medical Center implemented a revised visitation policy today at 2 p.m. to be proactive. This policy will remain in place until further notice,” according to Teresa Camp-Rogers, MD, Chief Quality Officer at South Central.

At 4 p.m. today, March 18, 2020, South Central received notification from the Mississippi State Department of Health that the hospital had it’s first case with a positive result. The patient was from Jasper County and did not require hospitalization.

“Patients, including those who visit South Central’s Emergency Department, are now allowed one visitor at a time. Each visitor will be required to pass the hospital’s screening guidelines before going further,” Dr. Camp-Rogers said.

Those who want to visit an inpatient in the hospital will be asked to enter through the hospital’s main front entrance which is located at 1220 Jefferson Street between 5:15 a.m. and 7:15 p.m. There is a check-in station directly inside the front of the hospital’s main entry doors where visitors are screened. Those with a temperature of 100.4 or higher and/or have respiratory symptoms which include a dry cough, or shortness of breath will not be able to access the facility. They will be told to contact their healthcare provider’s office for further guidance. Those who are allowed access to the building will be provided a Visitor ID Badge which must continue to be worn throughout their time in the building. It is important for visitors to remain in the patient room the entire time they are in the facility.

If multiple visitors arrive to visit a patient, only one visitor will be allowed in the building at a time,” Dr. Camp-Rogers said. “It is important that visitors coordinate their visitation and meet at the check-in station located at the hospital’s main entrance.”

Patients who are scheduled to have a test or procedure at the hospital will also be asked to enter through the main hospital entrance. Any patients who exhibit symptoms associated with respiratory illness or have been in an area experiencing COVID-19 outbreak will receive further evaluation to determine next steps.

“This day and time, society has provided a world of electronic measures to assist in communication, such as calling the patient’s cell phone, texting them, Face Timing or Skyping them. We encourage as much of this as possible during this time. The less visitors we have in the building the safer our patients and staff will be,” she said.

“Additional updates will be placed on scrmc.com as needed. We appreciate the community’s support during this time,” she concluded.