By Southern Torch Staff

FORT PAYNE, Ala. — At DeKalb Regional Medical Center, our staff and affiliated physicians continue to follow the official Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) guidance for evaluating patients having symptoms consistent with possible COVID-19 coronavirus. To protect our patients and caregivers, we are also following official guidance from these agencies for the prevention of disease spread, including screening patients and visitors, ensuring proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE), facilitating hygiene, providing proper sanitation and restricting visitors.

Visitation restrictions are now in effect at our hospital and will be maintained until further notice. All visitors may be screened before being allowed into patient areas. 

DeKalb Regional Medical Center considers the health and safety of patients, caregivers and visitors a high priority. Therefore, if you have any respiratory symptoms, fever, sore throat or a runny nose, we ask that you not visit patients in the hospital or accompany patients to clinics or other health services. We will not allow any visitors under 16 years of age at this time. We are limiting approved visitors to one per patient at a time. We have restricted all visitation to our Geriatric Psychiatry or Senior Care Unit and will only accommodate any approved exceptions between 2:00 and 2:30 p.m. One visitor may accompany an ER patient, though we discourage ER visitation at this time. Approved visitors to the Women and Children’s unit will be limited to two per patient at a time

If a patient is suspected of having COVID-19, we ask that in-person visitation be suspended in favor of alternative visits, such as video-call applications on cell phones, computers or tablets. Again, circumstances may allow for specific exceptions on a case by case basis and require administrative approval. Concerns about the visitation policy should be addressed to hospital administration at 256-997-2145.