Kaweah Health set to temporarily close The Lifestyle Center; prepares for no visitors

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VISALIA – On Wednesday, March 18, in response to the evolving COVID-19 pandemic, Kaweah Health will temporarily close its Lifestyle Center and begin a no-visitor policy at its Medical Center.

“This is an unprecedented time as we work to care for our community from COVID-19,” said Gary Herbst, Kaweah Health's Chief Executive Officer.

Following the Governor’s direction, Kaweah Health will temporarily close The Lifestyle Center, its medically-based fitness facility, through Wednesday, April 1, said Patrick Tazio, Director of The Lifestyle Center.

“This was a difficult decision, but we care about our members and their health. We want to do

everything we can to preserve the health and safety of our community,” Tazio said. “This doesn’t mean their fitness journey has to stop. We’re encouraging members to do what they can to stay healthy during this time.”

In two weeks’ time, TLC officials will reevaluate the decision and will notify its members of any further closure. Upon its re-opening, officials will evaluate how to credit account credits the time closed.

In an effort to continue its efforts to protect patients, staff, and community members, Kaweah Health will implement a temporary no-visitor policy at 12 p.m. on Wednesday, March 18, at its Medical Center. Exceptions will be made for:

• End of Life patients
• Labor & Delivery/NICU/Pediatric patients
• Dementia/developmentally delayed patients

If an exception is made for a visitor (must be the same visitor throughout the patient’s stay), they will have to pass a temperature and respiratory screen. Family and loved ones looking for patients can call 559-624-2000 for patient updates.

“As the rest of the country implements increasingly-restrictive measures to protect us from the coronavirus, Kaweah Health will move forward with similar protections for our patients, their families, our staff, our physicians and our community,” said Gary Herbst, Kaweah Health's Chief Executive Officer.

Kaweah Health will position staff to help admit patients for their procedures at the following three Medical Center entrances:

• Mineral King Entrance, 400 W. Mineral King Ave. (entrance for emergency department, obstetric/labor, infusion, and lab patients)
• The Surgery Center (located on the southwest side of the Medical Center) (entrance for surgery and endoscopy patients)
• Acequia Wing, 305 W. Acequia Ave.

Kaweah Health will also temporarily close its medical records counter to the general public. Requests can be made by downloading forms online at www.kaweahdelta.org/medicalrecords, filling them out and submitting them in the following ways:

Email: medicalrecordrequests@kaweahhealth.org

Fax: (559)-741-4888

Mail: Attn: Health Information Management
400 W. Mineral King
Visalia CA, 93291

Questions? medicalrecordrequests@kaweahhealth.org or (559) 624-2218.

Kaweah Health has activated an incident command center in the Medical Center that will be staffed 24/7 to ensure that the organization can immediately respond to any situations that may arise. Senior administrative and clinical leaders will be staffing this command center. They are in frequent contact with Tulare County Health & Human Services, local hospitals, and other local healthcare providers to coordinate our responses to evolving community needs.

Kaweah Health has taken a number of measures to put the health and safety of patients and visitors first. They include limiting visitors, implemented temporary entrances, cancelling all public events, removing volunteers from its sites, cancelling all business travel, and asking its more than 5,000 employees to cancel internal meetings and use teleconferencing or online meetings instead.

Kaweah Health will continue to share COVID-19 information and regular updates with the community on its website at www.kaweahdelta.org/COVID19, via media statements, and on its social media accounts.

Tulare County Health & Human Services Agency advises if you think you have been exposed to COVID-19 and develop a fever and symptoms of respiratory illness, such as cough or difficulty breathing, please call your primary physician or 2-1-1 rather than walking into a medical office or hospital. Your physician will connect with Tulare County Public Health to determine if testing is appropriate.