Bates County Memorial Hospital is taking the COVID-19
pandemic very seriously. For the next two weeks starting Monday, March 16, the
hospital is taking the following additional steps to protect our patients,
staff and community:
· Limiting visitors to the facility to one visitor
per inpatient and two visitors if it is an end of life situation.
· The cafeteria will be closed to the public.
· All non-urgent outpatient visits will be suspended
and rescheduled at the direction of your provider. This includes rehabilitation
patients.
· Care critical to our patients’ health such as
oncology, chemotherapy, IV medications, and cardiology will continue with no
interruptions.
· All wellness exams at Family Care Clinics will be rescheduled.
· All wellness exams at Family Care Clinics will be rescheduled.
· Family Care Clinics in Adrian and Rich Hill are
temporarily closed.
· High Street Family Care Clinic in Butler has
been set up as a designated site for evaluation and testing of individuals with
respiratory symptoms to provide the most efficient service.
· Nursery Street Family Care Clinic will see all other patients in need of urgent care and assessments. Medication refill requests may be handled by phone.
· Saturday hours at Family Care Clinics will not be available.
· Nursery Street Family Care Clinic will see all other patients in need of urgent care and assessments. Medication refill requests may be handled by phone.
· Saturday hours at Family Care Clinics will not be available.
· Payments for hospital or clinic bills are to be
paid by mail. Billing questions or payments can be made by calling or call 660-200-7000 to make a payment with a
credit card. No in-person payments will be taken.
The BCMH emergency room will remain open to serve the
public, and we will continue to have inpatient services. At this time, our
front/north door entrance will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday
through Friday. Please use the Emergency Department entrance during evenings
and weekends. All who enter the front and Emergency Department entrances will
be screened for coronavirus risk (asked a number of questions) upon entering
the building.
If you have any doubts about where to go during this time,
please call your provider and let them know your medical issue so we can best
care for your needs.
BCMH closed the Auxiliary Gift Shop last week, tentatively
until May 1. Our volunteers and Chaplains will not be working or in the
building during this time. All support groups and Stay Strong Stay Healthy
meetings have also been cancelled through May 1, and all job shadow students
and clinical students are cancelled.
BCMH encourages the community to take this pandemic very seriously.
Measures suggested by our local and state officials may seem extreme, but can
help health care facilities like ours handle the burden of a sudden increase of
patients who need medical treatment. BCMH is doing everything possible to keep
the hospital a safe environment and to be prepared. Stay at home as much as you
possibly can, and encourage your family to do so as well. Be mindful of the needs
of our elderly, who are at the greatest risk of serious illness or death from
this disease.
Learn more on our website about protecting yourself and your
loved ones from COVID-19: www.bcmhospital.com.
