Piedmont Healthcare is restricting visitors to its hospitals, and that includes Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center on Prince Avenue. Only visitors over the age of 13 are allowed at Piedmont’s eleven hospitals. The number of visitors is also set at two per patient, and they will undergo health screenings before entry.
From Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center…
From the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, Piedmont has been working closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH), to stay up-to-date with the latest information.
Locally, Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center is continuously preparing for potential infectious diseases and epidemics, but have intensified our efforts since COVID-19 showed increased activity in the United States.
According to the Georgia Department of Public Health, there are two confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Athens-Clarke County area. While these cases are not currently at Piedmont Athens Regional, our facility is continuing to work closely with our local partners in the Athens-Clarke County healthcare community to reduce the spread of COVID-19, including implementing a higher level of safety restrictions for visitors coming to our facility.
All hospital visitor entrances will be closed except for these designated areas:
- Prince Tower 2 or emergency room (ER) entrance located on the corner of Prince and King avenues
- Talmadge Tower 2 entrance located on Talmadge Drive.
No more than two visitors will be allowed per patient and no children ages 13 and under (except for those who are coming in for healthcare services).
In addition, all visitors will undergo health screenings. To be allowed entry, all visitors must pass a health screening, which includes the following criteria:
- Visitors with fever, cough, sore throat or flu-like symptoms will not be admitted.
- Visitors displaying symptoms of other acute respiratory illness, as well as those who have recently traveled outside the United States, will not be admitted.
- Visitors who have had close contact with individuals who are known to be infected or suspected of being infected will not be admitted.
Visitors who are admitted will wear a sticker to signify they have been safely screened, and people with increased risk of chronic conditions and existing comorbidities are advised not to visit. Piedmont will monitor waiting rooms and other common areas for excess congregation.
During this time, Piedmont encourages the use of electronic devices to communicate with patients who are hospitalized. These visitor restrictions are intended to best protect the safety of our patients and employees, as well as prevent the spread of COVID-19 locally.
As one of your local healthcare providers, we are doing everything we can to ensure the safety of our patients, staff and visitors. For this reason, anyone who is concerned about exposure to coronavirus, unless they are severely ill, should stay home and limit contact with others until any symptoms resolve.