Southern Chicago healthcare provider takes extra precautions to prevent H1N1 virus

There have been some new changes to the visitor guidelines at Riverside Medical Center. With the recent upswing in the number of people infected with the H1N1 virus, the southern Chicago suburbs healthcare provider has decided that there should be extra precautions put in place to protect patients, visitors and staff during this influenza outbreak.

As a leader in south Chicago Illinois healthcare, Riverside Medical Center is taking charge when it comes to H1N1. Effective immediately, children under the age of 12 will not be allowed to visit hospitalized patients until further notice. The reasoning behind this new guideline stems from the fact that children are more susceptible to contracting the H1N1 virus. They are also the most likely population to spread the illness. That being said, patients of all ages needing medical care will continue to be treated as always.

The southern Chicago healthcare provider would also like to ask that all people who have flu-like symptoms, regardless of age, please refrain from visiting patients. As a major south Chicago, Illinois healthcare provider, Riverside Medical Center feels that they have an obligation to their patients, staff and community at large to prevent the spread of the virus and to protect everyone's health. Many other hospitals around the country have begun screening and restricting visitors in a similar way. These steps are based on the recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to decrease the potential for the H1N1 influenza to spread.

To ensure that your southern Chicago suburbs healthcare is on the same page, Riverside asks that everyone work together and take the extra precautions seriously. Your southern Chicago healthcare provider appreciates the cooperation of the public in helping them provide the best possible care for you, your family and the community as a whole.