Chatham-Kent Health Alliance Updates Visitor Restrictions during Provincial Lockdown

CHATHAM-KENT: December 22, 2020 – Chatham-Kent Health Alliance (CKHA) continues to review the visitor restrictions policy implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and re-assess based on the current situation. 

With the recent announcement regarding the province-wide lockdown and increased prevalence of COVID-19 in the broader region, CKHA is moving to Phase 2 of its visitor restrictions effective 12:01 am December 26, 2020. Phase 2 visitor restrictions permits one Care Partner ONLY for long stay patients on the Rehabilitation, Inpatient Psychiatry and Complex Continuing Care units effective December, 26, at 12:01am. 

Further, effective immediately, CKHA asks that Care Partners respect the provincial direction regarding current lockdowns and those Care Partners who may be travelling from outside of Chatham-Kent to please find an alternate Care Partner who currently resides in Chatham-Kent to visit on their behalf.

Exceptions to the CKHA visitor policy continue to include:

• An inpatient who is imminent risk of dying, as determined by the clinical provider, may have no more than two visitors present at a time.
• An inpatient who is considered palliative, as determined by the clinical provider, may have one visitor present at a time.
• Paediatric patients may be accompanied by one adult visitor.
• Women in active labour/post-partum may be accompanied by one adult visitor.
• In the Emergency Department (ED):

• A patient who is at imminent risk of dying may have a loved one present with them during their ED stay.
• Patients with cognitive or mobility difficulties may be accompanied by one person during their ED stay.
• Paediatric patients in the ED are permitted to be accompanied by one adult.

Visiting restrictions remain in effect for COVID-19 positive patients in that there will be NO visitors permitted to a confirmed COVID-19 positive patient, regardless of condition.  As well, due to increased prevalence in the community at this time, visitors WILL NOT be permitted to a patient with a pending COVID-19 test result. 

As is the current practice, visitors will be screened at the main entrance at the Chatham Site and Emergency Department entrance at the Wallaceburg Site and if they fail screening, they will be denied entry into the hospital.  No children under the age of 18 are permitted to visit.  All visitors must wear a mask and/or additional Personal Protective Equipment as required, practice frequent hand-washing and will be restricted to visitation in the patient’s room with no access to any common areas including the Cafeteria or Tim Horton’s.  No food or drink is to be consumed by the visitor in the patient’s room.  Out of an abundance of caution, CKHA asks that if you have a loved one in hospital and will be visiting daily/frequently, to try to limit your movement throughout the community as much as possible to avoid the potential spread of illness.  If a patient or loved one/advocate wishes to appeal the visitation policy, they should discuss with the care team.

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As well in an effort to limit visitors to CKHA, please note the Cashier office in the front lobby of CKHA will be closed during the provincial lockdown.  If you need to pay a bill you have three options :

• By phone at 1-800-378-3641 and reference your 9 digit invoice number
• MasterCard is available online at http://bit.ly/ckhapayments   
• Return mail

A lock box is located in the central front lobby at the cashier’s office should you wish to leave a payment. For general billing inquiries call the Business Office at 519-380-2883.