To keep hospital patients and staff safe and reduce the possible spread of the H1N1 flu, on Monday, November 9 Ukiah Valley Medical Center (UVMC) will begin screening all people who wish to visit hospital patients. All hospital visitors will be routed through the main entrance, located at the center of the main hospital building (unless they are emergency patients who will enter through the Emergency Department or pregnant patients, who will enter through the north entrance – Family Birth Center). Visitors with flu symptoms will be asked to leave the hospital unless they are seeking treatment. Children will not be allowed to visit patients.
Hospital patients will be allowed to have one visitor at a time, and four visitors total (exceptions include patients under the age of 18, patients having a baby, or patients receiving end-of-life care, in which case they may have up to two visitors at a time).
“We need to limit the number of people flowing through the hospital to reduce possible H1N1 infections. We have to protect our most vulnerable populations,” said Infection Prevention Director Sue Mason, RN.
In additional to limiting hospital access, UVMC is protecting one of the community’s most vulnerable populations by allocating H1N1 vaccine appropriately. In the past week, UVMC received 140 doses of H1N1 flu vaccine specifically for front line health care workers (e.g. Emergency Department doctors and nurses, Labor and Delivery doctors and nurses, respiratory therapists, etc.). Mendocino County Health and Human Services requested that hospitals protect the caregivers who would most likely care for hospital patients. The current vaccine supply has been allocated.
UVMC and Ukiah Valley Rural Health Center (UVRHC) expect to receive more H1N1 and seasonal flu vaccine as they become available. They have setup hotlines with messages that change daily reflecting the current vaccine supply. The UVMC hotline is 463-7406 and the UVRHC hotline is 463-8000, option 9.
Influenza symptoms include cough, fever above 100 degrees, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain, and sore throat. If patients are dehydrated (do not have enough fluid), their symptoms will include infrequent urination and/or urine that is dark yellow. In infants, dehydration can also include sunken eyes and a sunken fontanel (soft spot on the top of the head). Excessive vomiting and/or diarrhea can cause dehydration. Patients should consider seeking medical treatment if they are dehydrated or have difficulty breathing after walking 50 feet.
Otherwise, people with flulike symptoms are encouraged to stay home to avoid infecting others. The most powerful defense against the flu is frequent hand washing, either with soap and water or hand sanitizer gel. Another good rule to prevent the spread of infection is respiratory hygiene - always coughing into a sleeve or tissue rather than a bare hand that will touch items like doorknobs or come into contact with others.
If people are unsure about whether to seek medical treatment, they should call their doctor. The information provided here is based on guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Mendocino County Health and Human Services Agency.
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275 Hospital Drive, Ukiah, CA 95482
707-462-3111