RACINE – Citing a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ascension Wisconsin has temporarily suspended in-person visitations. The new policy, which takes effect Tuesday, applies to all Ascension Wisconsin acute care facilities, including Ascension-All Saints Hospital, 3801 Spring St.
Racine County saw an increase of 752 new COVID-19 cases over the past week. Since March, a total of 6,838 people have contracted the virus.
“Like much of Wisconsin, Racine County remains in the “very high” risk category and continues to see a surge in COVID-19 cases. It is essential that Racine County residents do their part to prevent further disease transmission, including staying home unless necessary, wearing a face-covering in public, and maintaining social distancing.
Get tested for COVID-19.
Families and patients are encouraged to stay in touch via virtual visitation such as Face Time, Skype, Zoom, etc. Access can be made through Ascension’s guest wi-fi.
Hospital leadership may make exceptions to the visitation policy, which focuses on “balancing the health risks and the patient’s right to receive visitors,” according to Ascension’s statement.
Examples include patients in pediatric and neonatal intensive care; patients with disabilities, including dementia; non-decisional patients; emergency department pediatric patients under age 18; patients undergoing surgery (limited to the pre-operative period); end-of-life situations; support persons for women in labor.
Visitors permitted per the exceptions must be the same person throughout the patient’s hospital stay, must be age 18 and older, required to wear a mask for the endurance of the visit, and be screened for COVID-19 symptoms. To review the full policy statement, including exceptions, visit the Ascension website.
