Visitation Changes at Carteret Health Care

For the safety of our patients, staff and community, effective Monday, March 16, 2020, Carteret Health Care will implement additional safety measures to prevent the spread of respiratory illnesses such as COVID-19 and influenza.

These additional safety measures at Carteret Health Care include:

• Only patients, staff and immediate, healthy family members may enter Carteret Health Care.
• Use the Main Lobby and the Emergency Department entrances. All others will be secured. The Main Lobby entrance will be open from 6AM until 7PM.
• Visitation will be limited to healthy, immediate family members over 16 years of age. Identify the same 1-2 visitor(s) per day. Only visit if necessary and if you are healthy. All others should consider virtual options to communicate with patients.

Carteret Health Care will secure accesses and have two entrances open, the main lobby and emergency department, for patients and visitors. All others will be secured. The main lobby will be open from 6AM until 7PM. Anyone who enters Carteret Health Care will be screened for respiratory signs and symptoms.

Also, the cafeteria will not be open to the public.

Carteret Health Care's team continues to closely monitor and apply CDC guidance for healthcare settings and all North Carolina Department of State Health Services and the Carteret County Health Department recommendations for preparedness activities.

The most important thing you can do is to keep yourself and family safe by:

• Practicing good hand hygiene – washing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Avoiding close contact with people who are sick.
• Avoiding touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unsanitized hands.

If you feel sick with fever, cough or breathing difficulty, stay home and avoid contact with others. Should you need medical care, call ahead before going to the doctor’s office, Emergency Room or Urgent Care and share your symptoms. Sick individuals should wear a facemask when you are around other people, cover your coughs and sneezes. Clean your hands often. Clean high-touch surfaces frequently.

Additional information can be found on the CDC website: cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov, the NCDHHS Coronavirus website at: https://www.ncdhhs.gov/divisions/public-health/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19-response-north-carolina or at https://www.carterethealth.org/.