Monday, February 22, 2010
WINSTON-SALEM/ THOMASVILLE- On Monday, Forsyth Medical Center, Medical Park Hospital, Thomasville Medical Center and Novant Health's other acute care hospitals in North Carolina will lift visitor restrictions that temporarily prohibited children 18 and under from its hospitals during H1N1 and seasonal flu season.
Leaders at the hospitals made the decision based on three key factors: there have been sustained low levels of H1N1 in the community; there has been a high rate of vaccinations among the pediatric population; and, a vast number of children have had H1N1 since April 2009.
Novant officials will reinstate visitor restrictions should there be a resurgence of H1N1 in the communities served by these facilities.
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For more information contact:
Forsyth Medical Center/Medical Park Hospital - Freda Springs, 336-277-8601
Thomasville Medical Center - Jane Wilder, 336-476-2442
About Novant Health
Novant Health is a not-for-profit integrated group of hospitals and physician practices, caring for patients and communities in North Carolina, Virginia and South Carolina. The Novant Medical Group consists of 1,068 physicians in 344 clinic locations. Hospitals include the following: Presbyterian Hospital, Presbyterian Orthopaedic Hospital, Presbyterian Hospital Matthews and Presbyterian Hospital Huntersville in the Charlotte, NC area; Forsyth Medical Center and Medical Park Hospital in Winston-Salem, NC; Thomasville Medical Center, Thomasville, NC; Brunswick Community Hospital, Supply, NC; Rowan Regional Medical Center, Salisbury, NC; Franklin Regional Medical Center, Louisburg, NC; Upstate Carolina Medical Center, Gaffney, SC; and Prince William Hospital, Manassas, VA. Other Novant facilities and programs include nursing homes and assisted living, outpatient surgery centers, medical plazas, rehabilitation programs, community health outreach programs and the national MedQuest organization with 103 diagnostic imaging centers in 13 states. Novant Health is ranked 12th nationally among the 2009 Top 100 Integrated Healthcare Networks, according to an analysis by the SDI health informatics company.
