What to know before you visit a Fort Collins or Loveland hospital during flu season

Pat Ferrier, Fort Collins Coloradoan
·4 min read
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Registered nurses Krystal Schmidt, left, and Denise Silverman administer care to a cancer patient at the UCHealth Medical Center of the Rockies outpatient infusion clinic on March 15, 2023, in Loveland. UCHealth and Banner Health facilities are now implementing seasonal visitor restrictions because of an uptick in hospitalizations due to respiratory illnesses.

With an uptick in hospitalizations due to respiratory illnesses — including COVID-19, flu and respiratory syncytial virus, known as RSV — local hospitals have implemented seasonal visitor restrictions.

UCHealth and Banner Health facilities in Northern Colorado are limiting younger visitors and asking visitors who don't feel well to stay home to avoid spreading illness.

As of Monday, UCHealth's Northern Colorado hospitals were treating 19 patients with COVID-19, spokesperson Kelly Tracer said. COVID is still the dominant illness the health system is seeing so far this season, but flu and RSV have ticked up in the past two weeks, she said.

UCHealth is seeing an uptick in COVID-19, flu and RSV cases.
UCHealth is seeing an uptick in COVID-19, flu and RSV cases.

“We are officially in respiratory virus season. That includes everything you can think of from the common cold to more severe illnesses,” said Dr. Michelle Barron, senior medical director of infection prevention and control for UCHealth, in a news release announcing restrictions at UCHealth hospitals and clinics. And now is the perfect time for Coloradans to protect themselves and others, she added.

Barron is encouraging people to stay home if they aren’t feeling well to avoid infecting anyone else.

“Use your common sense. If you’re sick, you don’t want to give your illness to grandma and grandpa. At the end of the day, the goal is to still be able to do things and enjoy the holidays. Just do it in a way that doesn’t impact others badly,” Barron said in the release.

Both health systems are encouraging everyone over the age of six months to get a flu shot as well as COVID-19 and RSV vaccines, if eligible, to protect themselves and others. It takes about two weeks after vaccination for protection to set in.

The RSV vaccine, recommended for people 60 and older and those who are 32-36 weeks pregnant, is new this year.

What to know about restrictions at Fort Collins-area hospitals

UCHealth

UCHealth's Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins and Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland are limiting patient visitors to two at a time and prohibiting visitors under 12 from certain high-risk areas. Visiting hours are 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Visitors under 12 are prohibited from visiting all intensive care units, transplant locations, oncology inpatient floors and pediatric units including NICUs and special care nurseries. Restrictions also apply to some units where ICU and oncology patients are being treated.

Visitors with coughs or other signs of respiratory illness will be asked to wear a mask while in the facility, or to wait to visit when they are healthy.

Banner Health

McKee Medical Center in Loveland and Banner Fort Collins Medical Center are prohibiting visitors under 13 from visiting patients in their rooms. If visiting, children under 13 must be supervised by an adult in public waiting areas and cafeterias.

Siblings may visit a new brother or sister in the obstetrics unit but may be screened for illness by staff beforehand.

Visitors are highly encouraged to wash or sanitize hands frequently while at the hospital to prevent getting the flu or potentially spreading any illness.

“The health and well-being of our patients, staff and visitors are extremely important to us,” said Joan Ivaska, executive director of infection prevention at Banner Health, in a news release. “We implement hospital restrictions during this time of year to keep everyone safe and help prevent the spread of infection."

Tips to stay healthier, protect others during the holidays

Here are some tips UCHealth shared in its news release:

  • Get vaccinated to prevent COVID-19 and flu.

  • Stay home from work, holiday gatherings and parties if you’re sick.

  • Wash your hands frequently.

  • Wear a mask in crowded indoor settings if you are immunocompromised or if you just want an extra layer of protection.

  • Test yourself or go to your doctor’s office to get tested if you are sick. If you test positive, there are treatments that can help people early in the course of COVID-19 or flu.

  • Get emergency medical care immediately if you or your child can’t breathe or you are experiencing any other kind of medical emergency.

  • Get preventive care like regular vaccines for children and adults and keep current on medications for chronic illnesses like diabetes.

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Fort Collins hospitals implement visitor restrictions for flu season