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As cases of COVID-19 continue to rise in Mid-Missouri, Capital Region Medical Center is restricting visitors into the hospital and clinics, with exceptions.
The Jefferson City hospital's new visitor policy is effective at midnight Wednesday.
Exceptions to the visitor restriction include:
- One partner, spouse or coach are permitted in labor and delivery and obstetrical ultrasound.
- Two parents or guardians are permitted for pediatric patients.
- Visitors may be admitted when patients are nearing end of life or are placed on "comfort care."
- Clinic patients with a physical or mental limitations, who are pregnant, and pediatric patients may be accompanied by a visitor.
- Inpatient Rehab Unit patients may have one individual designated for training to facilitate discharge planning.
- One person may accompany a patient in the emergency department.
"We recognize being separated from a loved one who is in the hospital can be difficult," CRMC officials stated in a news release. "However, we are taking this situation seriously and making every precaution to reduce the risk to our patients, visitors, employees and community."
COVID-19 patients currently account for about one-third of CRMC's hospital admissions, CRMC internal medicine specialist Dr. Randall Haight said during a Cole County Health Department news conference last Thursday. The hospital had 42 patients in its COVID-19 wards and Intensive Care Unit last Thursday and had seen 17 COVID-19 deaths in November as of last Wednesday.
St. Mary's Hospital in Jefferson City also announced further restrictions to its visitor policy last week.