Mount Nittany Medical Center reinstates no visitor policy as COVID-19 cases rise
Mount Nittany Medical Center has reverted to a no visitor policy, except for special circumstances, in response to increased COVID-19 transmission and hospitalizations in Centre County.
The change is effective Wednesday until further notice, Mount Nittany Health announced on its website. Special circumstances where visitors will be permitted include end of life, birth and special needs.
One caregiver may accompany patients at the emergency department, Mount Nittany Physician Group locations, Cancer Care Partnership and all outpatient departments. Depending on the circumstances, however, caregivers may be asked to find an alternative place to wait, such as a vehicle.
The health system had similar visitor restrictions in place for about six months starting in November 2020 and made changes in May amid declining COVID-19 rates.
Last week, Centre County’s daily COVID-19 case totals reached a high not seen since May — 138 cases reported between Aug. 14-20. Hospitalizations are also on the rise, with a daily average of 12 in August compared to a daily average of six in July, a Mount Nittany Health spokesperson said Friday.
“Due to the uptick in COVID hospitalizations, we have taken additional steps in our pandemic response plan to adjust operations to meet the needs of the community, including rescheduling some elective surgical cases requiring an overnight admission. This step is essential to ensure that we are serving our COVID positive inpatients and those needing us for acute and surgical care,” Tiffany Cabibbo, chief nursing officer and executive vice president, patient care services for Mount Nittany Health, said in a statement Friday.
Masking is required within all Mount Nittany Health facilities. As an additional safety measure, inpatients will also be asked to mask when a health care provider or other staff members enter room.
The health system encourages community members to receive the COVID-19 vaccine and practice other mitigation measures including masking, physical distancing and hand hygiene. Those 12 and older can sign up for a vaccine by visiting mountnittany.org/COVID.
For more information on the visitation policy, visit mountnittany.org/coronavirus. If you have questions or concerns about the hospital, call 814-231-7000 and, for questions about other facilities, contact the respective practice or outpatient office.