COVID-19 Screening and Visitor Protocols at Bingham Memorial Hospital
BLACKFOOT, ID – March 17, 2020 – To protect our patients, their loved ones, our employees and medical staff, Bingham Memorial Hospital (BMH) has implemented updated visitor protocols:
- All patients, support care givers, and staff must enter through the ER entrance.
- All patients may have 1 support person over the age of 18 enter the facility with them.
- All pediatric patients may have both parents as their support persons.
- People entering for the cafeteria are not permitted in the facility at this time.
All patients, support care givers, and staff will continue to be screened at the entrance. All patients will be assessed for recent travel out of the country or to high risk areas and for any exposure to any known COVID-19 positive persons. Anyone who presents with respiratory symptoms will be placed in a mask immediately.
Patients who call ahead to the ER or a clinic will be triaged over the phone and asked to wait in their car until an appropriate room placement is ready for them (unless they are having emergent issues). In addition, patients arriving via ambulance with possible COVID-19 will remain on the ambulance until an appropriate room is available.
We recognize these changes will be uncomfortable and a little inconvenient as all of us go about our day-to-day responsibilities, but it is what we need to do to not only protect our patients and their families, but also each other and our families in our community. We appreciate your understanding and support with these measures.
Important Reminders for Everyone
We hope this goes without saying, but please remember the most effective way to prevent the spread of communicable diseases include:
- Frequent and thorough hand washing.
- Coughing into the crook of your elbow.
- Stay home when sick.
- Limit contact with people who are infected.
- Use of alcohol or bleach or any other bleach or detergent or antiviral topical to wipe doorknobs and tabletops.
Because of the changing nature of COVID-19 on a daily basis, everyone at BH recognizes that it’s important to be as flexible as possible and will continue assessing the situation and implementing changes as necessary.
For additional information about COVID-19 or travel restrictions, they highly recommend you visit the CDC website at: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/index.html
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About Bingham Memorial Hospital
Bingham Memorial Hospital (BMH), a proud member of Bingham Healthcare, is a 501(c)3 non-profit 25-bed critical access hospital located in Blackfoot, Idaho. Bingham Memorial Hospital is committed to the pursuit of excellence in our endeavor to provide a continuum of quality, compassionate, healthcare services for residents and visitors to east Idaho, in the most efficient and cost-effective manner possible. BMH employs nearly 1,000 people, and they have healthcare facilities in Idaho Falls, Ammon, Shelley, Blackfoot, Chubbuck, and Pocatello, Idaho.
For more information, visit binghamhealthcare.org or call (208) 785-4100.
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