NORTH ADAMS -- Starting Tuesday, North Adams Regional Hospital will restrict visiting hours and restrict visitors to those who are 18 years of age as part of its efforts to contain the spread of swine and seasonal influenza.
The temporary changes to the visiting policy include:
-- No visitors under the age of 18.
-- A maximum of two visitors at a time.
-- Restricting visiting hours to 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., ending an hour earlier than usual.
-- A request that any person with flu-like symptoms not visit the hospital.
Exceptions may be made when a patient is critically ill.
"A few simple changes like these will reduce the spread of flu, and help us heal our patients faster and keep our visitors and staff healthy," said Jennifer Rush, vice president of quality for Northern Berkshire Healthcare, the hospital's parent corporation. "We apologize in advance for any inconvenience this may cause, but hope the community understands that these measures are necessary.
"The Centers for Disease Control has asked hospitals to consider restricting visitors, and we share that concern. While the vast majority of flu cases have been only mild or moderate, more than 80 percent of the severe cases have been in children ages 6 to 18."
The company's Web site, www.nbhealth.org, has updated flu information linked from the site's main page. Information includes a flu
North Adams Regional's move comes on the heels of the county's two other hospitals -- Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield and Fairview Hospital in Great Barrington -- which understook similar measures last week to prevent the spread of the flu. At those hospitals, visitors must be 18.
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