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Visitor Guidelines as of June 1, 2020
Revised visitor guidelines will offer more flexibility to spend time with a hospitalized loved one. As of June 1, visitor guidelines will be as follows: - Inpatients may have one visitor per day. The person may come and go throughout the day, but must be the same visitor that day. A different person can be the single visitor the following day.
- Patients who are receiving end-of-life care can have two visitors at a time, and the visitors can rotate during the day, allowing loved ones to be near.
- Pediatric patients (age 17 and under) may have one parent or guardian with them, which applies to both to inpatients and pediatric patients receiving outpatient services.
- Birth Center visitors are limited to one person per day, which includes the baby’s father or mother’s support person. The father/support person can be present for a surgical delivery.
- Adult outpatients are asked to come alone, unless physical assistance is required. Also, obstetric patients scheduled for an OB ultrasound may be accompanied by one person.
- Surgical patients may be accompanied by one person who must remain in the surgical area during the patient’s procedure.
- Emergency patients: Pediatric patients may be accompanied by a parent or guardian. No visitors permitted for adult emergency patients unless the patient has a life-threatening condition as determined by the medical team.
No one under age 18 is permitted to visit except during an end-of-life situation for a patient, at the parent’s discretion.
Patients and visitors will have their temperature checked and be asked screening questions at the entrance of the hospital. Masks will be required for anyone to enter the hospital. The use of waiting areas will be limited and directed by hospital staff. The cafeteria and coffee shop will be available for take-out food items only.
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| Spencer Hospital Reintroduces Additional Services |
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“Our planning calls for an incremental increase in service access, to be followed by monitoring to ensure there’s not a significant increase in COVID-19 infection in the community, before considering expanding additional services,” said Bumgarner. “Non-essential services could be restricted or suspended again if there is a concern about the level of community spread.”
Services which reopened or expanded effective June 1 include the following:- Cardiac and pulmonary rehab services will be offered in-person with number of attendees limited and safety restrictions in place.
- Diagnostic imaging and laboratory services will be increased based on patient needs, identified by ordering physicians.
- Physical, occupational and speech therapy, and respiratory services will be expanded, based on patient needs.
- Home health and wound care services will be offered on a limited basis, based on patient risk considerations and priorities.
- Diabetic education will permit individual in-person sessions but will continue to encourage telemedicine appointments. Nutrition counseling will continue to be restricted to phone or online appointments.
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| Do Your Part: COVID-19 Case Numbers on the Rise Locally |
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Stay the course, everyone – COVID-19 isn’t over, in fact it’s our time to be a hotspot. Our numbers in our area are growing and, in fact, Clay County's number of confirmed cases has tripled in the past two weeks.
Dr. David Keith, family physician with Avera Medical Group Spencer and medical director for Clay County Public Health, urges community members to do their part to help protect each other, especially those with underlying health conditions, from exposure to the virus.
Continue reading Dr. Keith's message on our website by clicking the button below.
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| Local Students Awarded Funds for Healthcare Education |
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Six local students pursuing healthcare careers recently were awarded educational funding through programs administered by Spencer Hospital.
Scholarship recipients of the Bennie B. and Ernestine F. Shine Scholarship were Cassie Olesen, Makayla Gee, Devyn Henson and Nicole McLaughlin. All four students are pursuing nursing degrees.
Additionally, Weston Johnson was awarded the Adam J. Anderson Scholarship, a fund especially created to assist students training to become paramedics; and Grace Goehring, a pharmacy student, was awarded funds from the Ruth Cornwall Loan Program. |
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| Getting Your Kids in the Kitchen |
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School has officially ended for the summer and many parents are looking for activities to keep their kids occupied. Getting your kids in the kitchen can not only keep them busy, but help them learn valuable skills. You will help improve self-esteem, increase creativity and problem solving, and decrease picky eating. Research shows that kids involved in growing and cooking their own food are less picky eaters. You can use cooking to teach them in other subjects as well.
If you are wondering what things to start your kids out with, it definitely depends on their age. Development of fine motor skills is important to add in more complicated skills like using a knife. Supervision is important and cooking together is an easy way to watch and help them learn. Teaching things like knife safety and how to put out kitchen fires is important as they start using more kitchen equipment.
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| Sun Safety: Stay Protected from the Sun |
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| June is the kickoff to summer, longer days, and more time spent in the sun. Here are some helpful tips on Sun Safety:
Please take precaution while enjoying the sunshine: use plenty of sunscreen on exposed skin, wear appropriate clothing to shield your skin, and find some shade when you need to take a break from the sun. Keep in mind that exposing yourself to the sun increases your chances of skin cancer - 1 in 5 Americans are at risk for developing some type of skin cancer in their lifetime.
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| Abben Cancer Center Honors Cancer Survivors |
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| The first Sunday of June traditionally marks National Cancer Survivors Day. Usually, the team of Abben Cancer Center invites past and current patients, family, and friends to a gathering to celebrate Survivors Day. This year, we gathered in spirit rather than physically together. The Abben team posed for a photo and produced a video that our survivors can see on social media.
Our Abben Cancer team sends our best wishes to all of our surviviors, along with our heartfelt thanks for entrusting their care with us at Spencer Hospital.
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| Special Delivery! Spencer Hospital Receives New MRI Unit |
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Spencer Hospital’s new Magnetic Resonance Imaging
(MRI) magnet was delivered last Wednesday, June 3rd! The
new General Electric MRI system features a wider, more
comfortable opening for patients, along with the latest in
technology for exceptional and faster imaging. The new MRI
suite will be ready for use in early July. |
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