Wayne Memorial Limits Access, Some Services

(Honesdale, March 20, 2020)… While there are still no patients with a positive COVID-19 diagnosis at Wayne Memorial Hospital as of today, March 20th,  the hospital is increasing security measures out of an abundance of caution to protect patients, visitors and staff.

As of 4:00 pm Friday, March 20th, only the Main Entrance and the Emergency Department doors will be open. The first floor pedestrian concourse will be closed, as will doors to the third floor.  The second-floor garage doorway will have doorbell-access only weekdays, up until 3:00 pm. After that, the two main doors must be utilized.

All elective, non-urgent, surgeries are being cancelled and none scheduled for the immediate future.

To reduce the risk of infection for some of the hospital’s most vulnerable outpatients, the following services will be closed and appointments rescheduled: Pulmonary Rehabilitation, Cardiac Rehabilitation, Pulmonary Function Testing, the Sleep Laboratory, Nutrition Counseling and Audiology.

“It’s all about taking care of patients and staff, and the hospital’s preparations are absolutely on track,” said board-certified pulmonologist Sean McVeigh, MD, FCCP, FACP. He noted that the hospital has also dedicated an isolation unit to treat COVID-19 patients, which he called impressive and well done.

Other services at the hospital itself are still operating as usual, including laboratory (blood work), Imaging Services (X-ray, CT, etc.), Wound Care, Infusion/Chemotherapy, Home Health, Medical Records and Billing. Patients who have respiratory symptoms will be asked to wear a mask. Off-site services are still open, but patients are asked to call ahead to be sure as changes may take place in the coming weeks.

Wayne Memorial administrators anticipate further measures at the hospital also. These may include health screenings of anyone who wishes to enter the facility.

Earlier, the hospital severely restricted visitation, again to protect against the spread of the novel coronavirus or COVID-9. No visitors are allowed to see patients except in certain situations, such as end-of-life or maternity. Even in these instances, the number of visitors are being restricted.

“We are doing the most and best that we can in this rapidly evolving situation,” said WMH CEO David Hoff. “We hope that our patients and visitors understand our precautions and help us all get through this.”

For more information on the virus, please visit cdc.gov/coronavirus and the COVID-19 page on the wmh.org website.