Summa Health Moves to No Visitors Policy Amid COVID-19 Outbreak

Date: 03/20/2020

AKRON, Ohio, March 20, 2020 – Due to the increasing spread of Coronavirus COVID-19 and in accordance with CDC guidelines, Summa Health announced today new visitor restrictions effective immediately.

Summa Health has moved to a no visitors policy. Exceptions to this policy will be made for one healthy visitor per patient, per day for the following categories:

• Patient who is in serious or critical condition or under hospice care
• End-of-life (approval for requests for more than one person will be made by nurse manager)
• Patient in the Emergency Department
• Mothers in labor (significant other is permitted)
• Children who are 18 years of age or under (parents permitted)
• People undergoing surgery
• Akron Children’s NICU (limited to mom and one additional visitor per day)
• Adult patients with cognitive or mental disability requiring help with the provision of medical care or activities of daily living, speaking for the patient, keeping patient safe
• People who must exercise of power of attorney or court-appointed guardianship for a patient
• People performing official governmental functions
• Person requiring an outpatient test or procedure where a companion is required for support

Those visitors must report to the main entrances of the hospital. Additional exceptions must be approved by the hospital’s administrator on call. Contact the Call Center Help Line at 330.319.9453 with any questions about visitation restrictions.

Friends and family of patients who meet these exceptions will not be allowed to visit if they have a cough, fever or respiratory symptoms or if they have been exposed to COVID-19. Prior to being allowed hospital access, those limited visitors will have their temperature taken. Those who have a temperature of 100˚F or greater will be denied access.

Patients who develop symptoms should call their doctors or the emergency room before being seen, so they can take precautions to prevent exposure to other individuals.

Summa Health through its Summa Health Virtual Visit E-Visits also recently announced the availability of free online screenings for COVID-19 and e-visits for specific health conditions. Patients can visit Summahealth.org/virtualvisit and choose the e-visit service. Online screening of COVID-19 and e-visits for COVID-19, flu, sinus infections, hay fever and allergies will be free of charge.

On March 4, Summa Health established a Coronavirus Call Line inside the Clinical Access Center. The phone line is answered 24/7 by trained clinical staff. Since opening the line, Summa Health has received more than 1,400 calls with questions about the Coronavirus COVID-19. The call line remains open. The phone number is 234.867.6314. Additional information and resources are also available on summahealth.org/coronavirus.

About Summa Health

Summa Health is one of the largest integrated healthcare delivery systems in Ohio. Encompassing a network of hospitals, community health centers, a health plan, a physician-hospital organization, a multi-specialty physician organization, research and the Summa Health Foundation, we are nationally renowned for excellence in patient care and for exceptional approaches to healthcare delivery. Summa’s clinical services are consistently recognized by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (Magnet status), U.S. News and World Report and The Leapfrog Group.

Media Contact: Shannon Houser
Phone: 234.312.5432