Over the weekend, Palisades Healthcare revised its visitation policy to be in effect until further notice. The website of their corporate owner, EmpRes, now states:
"Due to the National State of Emergency declared by the President of the United States on March 13, 2020, all non-essential visitors are prohibited from entering our center. Only those whose family are near end of life are permitted to visit. Essential visitors include doctors, nursing, healthcare contractors, government officials, or x-ray techs. We are maintaining strict screening processes to prevent potential exposure to the COVID-19 virus to our residents. We are encouraging visitors to contact loved ones by telephone or video for the time being."
Across the United States, measures are being taken to help reduce the spread of the virus, especially to high-risk populations. A nursing home facility in Washington State saw an outbreak of Coronavirus two weeks ago, and the residents were highly impacted, with 25 residents dying and most of the rest hospitalized. As of March 14, according to NPR, only a third of the residents remained in the facility.
In an attempt to prevent this sort of situation, nursing homes had begun to limit and screen visitors, including those at Palisades Healthcare. However, as the virus continues to spread, the CDC has revised its guidelines to advise older and at-risk adults to self-isolate as much as possible.
