Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare COVID-19 Update for Wednesday, March 18, 2020

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Mar 18, 2020, 05:00 ET

MEMPHIS, Tenn., March 18, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare (MLH) continues to follow our COVID-19 Response Plan, and is making adjustments daily to align with the latest evidence-based guidelines from CDC.

We have updated our visitor policy, employee screening and elective procedures for our adult facilites. Those actions include:

Visitor Policy –

To protect our patients, staff, visitors, and community during the outbreak of COVID-19, Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare is limiting visitors effective Thursday, March 19. All visiting is being suspended until the transmission of COVID-19 is no longer a threat to our patients, staff, and community. No visitors will be allowed in rooms of patients with pending or positive COVID-19 tests.

Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare recognizes there are times when having a visitor or family member present is crucial, and we have identified those specific situations here.

Elective Procedures –

We will begin canceling elective procedures effective Monday, March 23. This allows time to notify patients. We will also cancel routine screenings and diagnostics, including screening mammography.

Screening Employees and Physicians at Entry Points –

We will implement employee and physician screening on Thursday, March 19, beginning with all six MLH hospitals. Screenings questions will cover symptoms, exposure and travel history as well as a temperature check. We will expand to other MLH facilities by Monday, March 23, to more than 100 MLH locations across our ambulatory and corporate locations.

For more information, please visit Your Health by MLH Blog. Our COVID-19 related policies are subject to change as we continue to assess and monitor our processes to ensure that we are doing what is in the best interest of our patients and MLH family.

To prevent the spread of COVID-19 or other viruses and infections, please remember to practice good health hygiene. This includes social distancing, frequent and thorough handwashing, refraining from touching your face, covering coughs and sneezes with a tissue or your elbow, and staying home when you are sick.

If anyone you know is concerned about exposure and/or has mild respiratory symptoms, please encourage them to contact their primary care physician by phone. Of course, if symptoms are severe or they are experiencing shortness of breath, the Emergency Department is the appropriate site of care, but they should call first to let the staff know they are on the way.

Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare's focus is to ensure we are well prepared in the event we are called upon to provide care for confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients, while also protecting the safety of employees, providers, family members, visitors and our community. We continually evaluate our processes to best meet the needs of our patients, and we are collaborating with the CDC and local and state Health Departments. We will continue to monitor this evolving situation and will do everything in our power to help our community be healthy and safe.

Because pediatric needs are different from adult patients the Le Bonheur policies will be slightly different. Please refer to Lebonheur.org for more information.

For more information, visit trusted sites like Your Health by MLH Blog, Lebonheur.org or uthsc.edu/coronavirus.

If you need a primary care physician, visit https://www.methodisthealth.org/primarycare.

Stay up-to-date on social media – Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

The Shelby County Health Department has a hotline active daily from 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. to address the public's concerns about COVID-19. Please call 1-833-943-1658 with general questions about COVID-19.

About Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare

Based in Memphis, Tennessee, Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare (MLH) has been caring for patients and families regardless of ability to pay for more than 100 years. Guided by roots in the United Methodist Church and founded in 1918 to help meet the growing need for quality healthcare in the greater Memphis area, MLH has grown from one hospital into a comprehensive healthcare system with 13,000 Associates supporting six hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, outpatient facilities, hospice residence and physician practices serving communities across the Mid-South. From transplants and advanced heart procedures to expert neurology services and compassionate cancer care, MLH offers clinical expertise with a focus on improving every life we touch.

SOURCE Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare