Miami’s Jackson Health System ends visitation for most patients over rise in COVID
Jackson Health System, Miami-Dade’s public hospital network, has ended visitations for most of its patients again as COVID-19 cases rise during the holiday season.
The tighter restrictions went into effect Tuesday morning with the “high risk level.” Earlier this month, the hospital reduced visitations to one healthy guest for most patients and ended visits to adult patients in the ER due to concerns over the omicron variant.
Under the new restrictions, only pediatric, maternity and rehabilitation patients without a confirmed or suspected COVID diagnosis will be allowed one healthy visitor daily. Patients who are in end-of-life care and don’t have a confirmed or suspected COVID diagnosis will also still be allowed to have healthy visitors.
For scheduled outpatient appointments, visitors are only allowed for patients who are minors, require help from a caregiver or are in police custody and require an escort. Visitors are also still allowed in Jackson’s long-term care facilities. Those with physical, intellectual, developmental or cognitive impairments or disabilities are also still allowed to have one person with them whenever it is deemed medically necessary.
However, Jackson Health says eligible visitors need to follow a set of rules too, such as undergoing a screening and temperature check before entry and wearing a mask at all times inside the facility. Visitors must also be 18 and older though there is an exception for children visiting a parent or legal guardian that is in end-of-life care. (Complete guidelines can be found on the hospital’s website.)
“If a visitor has a special situation, they should ask to speak to an administrator. We understand the hardship this creates on families with a loved one in the hospital,” Jackson Health said in a Twitter post. “The health, well-being, and safety of our patients, visitors, and employees is our top priority.”
Jackson’s new visitation policy is similar to the one Hollywood-based Memorial Healthcare System started last week and comes as Florida sees a record-breaking amount of COVID-19 cases. And while South Florida hospitals are seeing a rising number of COVID patients, many of the diagnosed patients went to the hospital for another unrelated medical reason, such as a car accident or to deliver a baby, as the Miami Herald has reported.
Another factor that has health experts optimistic: Emerging evidence suggests the contagious omicron variant, which is now the dominant strain in the country and in Miami-Dade, causes less severe illness than prior strains. This could lead to fewer hospitalizations compared to the delta wave. However, it’s still too soon to say if omicron-fueled COVID cases will overrun hospitals with severely sick patients. Hospitalizations generally increase about two weeks after cases spike.
This story was originally published December 28, 2021 at 10:06 AM.
