Visitor Guidelines
The health and safety of you and your families is our top priority. As we face the threat of the COVID-19 virus, we are taking every precaution to ensure your safety and have implemented new visitation guidelines. Please read the following guidelines and share them with your family and friends to ensure a worry-free visit.
Due to increasing concerns about the coronavirus (COVID-19), Refugio County Memorial Hospital is adapting its policies and procedures with the goal of keeping patients, families and staff safe.
As of March 16, for the health and safety of our community, patients and families, we are no longer allowing visitors to wait in the Emergency Room Lobby if they have a fever, until further notice. We understand this is a challenging situation and appreciate your understanding.
As per Texas Governor Abbott we will limit the amount of visitors gathering in the Emergency Room Lobby to 10 visitors only.
We will only allow “1 visitor per patient per day” in the Emergency Room Lobby.
All visitors will go through our health screening process in the Emergency Room, as dictated by the CDC and Texas Department of Health and Human Services.
The health screening process will include the following:
- Temperature; looking for a temperature greater than 100 degrees.
- Fever that is currently treated with over the counter medications.
- Screening for cough or nasal drainage or flu-like symptoms.
If a visitor is found to have a fever or taking medicines to treat a fever, the visitor will be asked the following:
- To please take and wear a face mask.
- To please exit the hospital. Visitors with fevers cannot stay in the Emergency Room Lobby.
- Visitors with fevers may wait in the chairs provided at the entrance to the Emergency Room or they may wait on the hospital campus.
If a visitor has a cough, nasal drainage, or cold/flu-like symptoms, the visitor MUST WEAR A FACE MASK in the Emergency Room Lobby.
- If the visitor does not want to wear a face mask they will be asked to leave the inside of the facility and may wait outside of the hospital. All visitors will go through our health screening process in the Emergency Room Lobby.
There are some limited exceptions to this “no visitation” policy:
- Pediatrics: Two parents or legal guardian(s) are allowed.
- Power of Attorney: Medical Power of Attorney/Legal Guardian will be allowed into emergency room or floor room with patient.
- End of Life: Determined on a case-by-case basis.
- Outpatient Areas: Patients should be dropped off at the Emergency Room entrance or the Physical Therapy entrance to the hospital. If they need assistance entering the building, the patient can be accompanied into the building. Visitors cannot stay. They will be called when the patient is ready to be picked up.
The above policy is made with the safety of our patients, community and health care providers in mind under the guidance from the Centers of Disease Control & Texas Department of Health and Human Services.
As the Coronavirus threat is dynamic, more aggressive measures and policies may need to be taken to control the spread of the Coronavirus and help insure the safety of our community.