To continue to protect the health and well-being of our patients, their families, and of the communities we serve, Monroe County Hospital & Clinics (MCHC) is now moving forward with further precautions. In accordance with this, we are following the most recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) and Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) COVID-19 recommendations and are acting with an abundance of caution to ensure we do not elevate the risk of exposure to the virus for our colleagues, physicians, patients or community members.
Effective Tuesday March 24, 2020, MCHC is instituting the following restrictions:
· To limit exposures within our facility, outside entrances will be locked except for the Medical Clinic entrance (East parking lot) and the Emergency Room entrance (West parking lot). Patients will need to use one of these entrances to access the building for appointments or emergency care.
o If you are a Medical Clinic patient, please enter through the Medical Clinic entrance located in our East parking lot.
o All other patients/visitors, please enter through our Emergency Services entrance located in our West parking lot.
· The MCHC Bistro (cafeteria) is closed to all general public until further notice.
· Visitor restrictions include:
o Emergency Room & Inpatient Care (Medical-Surgical)
· Two visitors per patient at a time
· No visitors under 16 years of age
· Do not visit if you are sick
· Surgery
o One visitor per patient
· Outpatient, Specialty
o One visitor per patient
· Medical Clinic
o We ask patients please limit the number of family members present. If possible, leave family members and friends at home.
As a reminder, we encourage the community to follow the best practices from the CDC and IDPH to help prevent the spread of all viruses:
· Stay home if you are sick.
· Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
· Cover your nose and mouth when you cough or sneeze.
· Thoroughly wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
– If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Always wash hands with soap and water if hands are visibly dirty.
· Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
· Disinfect surfaces and objects using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
At MCHC, we are following guidance provided by the CDC and IDPH to screen all who enter MCHC for symptoms including fever and respiratory signs as well as the patient’s travel history and exposure to those who have traveled. This screening process includes all who enter our facility.
If you have general questions on COVID-19, please dial 2-1-1. If you begin to experience symptoms and have been in close contact with a person known to have COVID-19 or if you live in or have recently been in an area with ongoing spread of COVID-19, call your primary care provider before coming in.
IDPH posts statewide numbers of persons being monitored, persons being tested and test results on the IDPH webpage at https://idph.iowa.gov/Emerging-Health-Issues/Novel-Coronavirus on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Visit this web page often for up-to-date information and follow the department on Facebook at @IowaDepartmentOfPublicHealth and on Twitter at @IAPublicHealth.
About Monroe County Hospital & Clinics
Established in 1951, Monroe County Hospital & Clinics (MCHC) is a trusted provider of high quality, local health care to the residents of Monroe County, IA and surrounding counties. Our highest mission is a promise to create an excellent health care experience. We believe it must be our number one priority to ensure the personal safety and security of each customer and employee. Our full-service, primary care hospital offers an array of inpatient and outpatient health services including surgical, clinical, specialty, physical therapy, cardiac rehabilitation, occupational therapy, emergency, sleep studies, pain management services and much more. Visit mchalbia.com for more information.