Mayo Announces Temporary Hospital Visitation Changes

Tuesday, November 03, 2009

ROCHESTER, Minn. — In response to the pandemic influenza outbreak in the community, Mayo Clinic is implementing temporary changes to its hospital visitation policy effective Wednesday, Nov. 4. The new visitation policy includes:

• No more than two visitors at a time.
• No visitors who are coughing, sneezing, have a runny nose, fever, or a sore throat.
• No visitors under the age of 18.
• Visitors must follow the hospital unit's visiting hours.
• Only parents or primary caregivers may visit pediatric patients.

Under extreme circumstances, exceptions may be granted on a case-by-case basis by hospital staff. All visitors must clean their hands before and after visiting with hand sanitizer (available throughout Saint Marys and Rochester Methodist hospitals) or soap and water. Visitors should address any questions to the unit secretary or a member of the nursing staff.

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About Mayo Clinic

Mayo Clinic is the first and largest integrated, not-for-profit group practice in the world. Doctors from every medical specialty work together to care for patients, joined by common systems and a philosophy of "the needs of the patient come first." More than 3,700 physicians, scientists and researchers and 50,100 allied health staff work at Mayo Clinic, which has sites in Rochester, Minn; Jacksonville, Fla; and Scottsdale/Phoenix, Ariz. and community based providers in more than 70 locations in Southern Minn., Western Wis. and Northeast Iowa. These locations treat more than half a million people each year. To obtain the latest news releases from Mayo Clinic, go to www.mayoclinic.org/news. For information about research and education, visit www.mayo.edu. MayoClinic.com is available as a resource for your health stories.