Blake Medical Center sets new visitor guidelines to protect against the coronavirus

HCA Healthcare, which owns Blake Medical Center in Bradenton and Doctors Hospital in Sarasota, has announced new visitor rules for anyone entering the facilities.

“With the number of confirmed cases rising in Florida and around the nation, we are further limiting access into our hospitals to help ensure that our patients, caregivers and visitors are safe,” said Dr. Ravi Chari, president of HCA Healthcare West Florida.

“We are monitoring the situation and will continue to make adjustments based on the latest guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Florida Department of Health, local officials and and HCA Healthcare’s enterprise emergency operations center which has been operating around the clock,” Chari said.

The following rules have been implemented and are similar to new visitation policies at Manatee Memorial Hospital.

• No visitors are permitted into inpatient units. The only exceptions will be made by the hospital administrator for end-of-life situations, labor and delivery, post-partum, and the neonatal intensive care unit where, if approved, one overnight visitor may be allowed.
• For the behavioral health unit, a patient’s attorney of record, a state or federal representative and end-of-life visitors are allowed.
• For the emergency room, one visitor is allowed to escort the patient into the ER waiting area, but must leave as soon as the patient is admitted.
• For outpatient procedures, one visitor is allowed per patient who having an outpatient surgery requiring sedation, but remain in the waiting area. If the patient ends up being admitted, the visitor must leave.
• Anyone under the age of 18 will not be considered for visitation unless they are the parent of a hospitalized child.

For anyone authorized to be a visitor, the following screening will occur:

• You will be asked if you have had a fever or flu-like symptoms.
• You will be asked if you have traveled outside the country within 14 days of visiting.
• You will be asked if you have any contact with someone who has COVID-19 without being properly protected.
• You will be asked if you have been tested for COVID-19.
• If the answer is yes to any of those questions, you will not be able to access the hospital unless it is you seeking emergency medical assistance.

Anyone entering the hospital will be required to practice hand sanitization and patients and families are encouraged to use Skype or FaceTime to communicate.