McKee Medical Center lifts visitor restrictions for children 12 and under

LOVELAND, Colo.  (Dec. 22, 2009) – McKee Medical Center will now allow children ages 12 and under who do not have flu-like symptoms to visit patient care areas in the hospital and other McKee facilities.

In September, leaders from Banner Health, which owns McKee, implemented a systemwide visitor-restriction policy as a precaution against the spread of H1N1 flu. Under that policy, all children ages 12 and under were restricted from patient care areas in the hospital.

Research indicates that children are the main carriers and transmitters of the flu; some Banner Health facilities prohibited children from visiting the hospital at all.

Banner Health has now decided because of declining cases of H1N1 flu to have each of its 22 facilities determine its own visitor policy, recognizing that there may be other contagious diseases circulating in local communities that may warrant the maintenance of visitor restrictions.

McKee has chosen to lift the restrictions. However, anyone who has flu-like symptoms should still refrain from visiting patients in the hospital. Also, if conditions change and the number of flu cases increases, restrictions may be implemented again.

“Despite the overall decrease in H1N1 cases, we have not yet seen seasonal flu or RSV and there is still a risk of a third H1N1 wave,” said Caryn Staib, system director of Banner Health’s Emergency Management. “Therefore we ask that facilities continue to remain vigilant in terms of not allowing any sick individuals to visit and weigh the benefits of maintaining the restrictions within their community.”