Kaweah Delta set to temporarily close The Lifestyle Center; prepares for no visitors
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AQUI.
Kaweah Delta set to temporarily close The Lifestyle Center; prepares for
no visitors
VISALIA – On Wednesday, March 18, in response to the evolving COVID-19
pandemic, Kaweah Delta 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 Delta’s Chief Executive Officer.
Following the Governor’s direction, Kaweah Delta 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 Delta 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 Delta will move forward with
similar protections for our patients, their families, our staff, our physicians
and our community,” said Gary Herbst, Kaweah Delta’s Chief
Executive Officer.
Kaweah Delta 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 Delta 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@kdhcd.org
Fax: (559)-741-4888
Mail: Attn: Health Information Management
400 W. Mineral King
Visalia CA, 93291
Questions?
medicalrecordrequests@kdhcd.org or (559) 624-2218.
Kaweah Delta 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 Delta 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 Delta 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.