Maine health care providers go into lockdown over spread of virus
Photo / Elizabeth Hope
Brentwood Center for Health and Rehabilitation, in Yarmouth, is one of the nursing facilities that has restricted visitor access.
Maine hospitals and other health care providers went into lockdown over the weekend in attempts to fend off effects of the novel coronavirus.
Central Maine Healthcare on Saturday said it was postponing some elective surgeries and limiting access to buildings of the Lewiston-based system, which operates Central Maine Medical Center, Bridgton Hospital, Rumford Hospital and other facilities.
Starting Monday, surgeries involving overnight stays will be put off until the virus hazard has been reduced, CMH said in a news release.
The system has also restricted access to its hospitals, prohibiting most visitors and reducing the number of entry points. At CMMC, patient access is confined to the main entrance at 60 High St. Staff access has also been limited.
The measures are designed to reduce traffic, and thus the possible spread of infection, at the facilities, while freeing up beds for patients who might be ill with COVID-19, officials said.
At Maine Medical Center in Portland, similar restrictions went into effect on Saturday.
The 637-bed hospital has limited daily visiting hours to 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and now requires all visitors to come through the main entrance at 22 Bramhall St. or through an adjacent parking garage entryway. Hospital staff are screening all who enter for risk factors of COVID-19, such as fever, cough or shortness of breath.
In addition, patients can only receive one visitor at a time, although exceptions may be made for pediatric patients and those receiving palliative care, according to a news release.
Also in Portland, Northern Light Mercy Hospital has restricted public access to its two campuses, which operate a total of 230 beds. Visitors may only enter the Mercy facility at 144 State St. through doors on Spring Street, and the site at 175 Fore River Parkway has confined visitor access to its main entrance.
Like Maine Medical Center, Mercy is also limiting patients to one visitor at a time, the hospital said.
Those types of limits aren’t limited to hospitals, however. National Health Care Associates Inc., which operates eight nursing and rehabilitation centers in Maine, said on Sunday it has restricted visits to exceptional cases, such as those involving end-of-life care.
In other cases, the centers are encouraging family members to “visit” through virtual tools, and is offering to help set up the technology links.
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