Franciscan Health Sets Visitor Restrictions Because of Measles Cases
The policy means that visitors who have not been vaccinated against measles, are not immune to measles, or are unsure of their status, are being asked not to visit areas and units at seven of the organization's Illinois and Indiana facilities.
Franciscan Health announced May 7 that, with increasing numbers of measles cases being reported both nationally and in Indiana, it is proactively implementing temporary visitor restrictions in some units at its Indiana and Illinois hospitals. The policy went into effect May 6 and "is vital to protect the hospitals' most vulnerable patients," the organization's news release stated.
The policy means that visitors who have not been vaccinated against measles, are not immune to measles, or are unsure of their status, are being asked not to visit these areas and units:
- Franciscan Health Olympia Fields, Ill.: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Pediatrics, Labor and Delivery, Postpartum, Newborn Nursery, Oncology
- Franciscan Health Crawfordsville, Ind.: Emergency Department, Infusion Center, MCCC
- Franciscan Health Crown Point, Ind.: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Family Birth Center, Pediatrics
- Franciscan Health Indianapolis, Ind.: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Pediatrics, Labor and Delivery, Postpartum, Newborn Nursery, Oncology, Bone Marrow Transplant
- Franciscan Health Lafayette East, Ind.: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Pediatrics, Dialysis, Labor and Delivery, Postpartum, Newborn Nursery, Oncology/Cancer Center, Emergency Department
- Franciscan Health Mooresville, Ind. Labor and Delivery, Postpartum, Special Care Nursery
- Franciscan Health Rensselaer, Ind.: Infusion Center, Oncology/Cancer Center, Emergency Department
The organization's news release said CDC has reported that from January 1 to May 3, 2019, 764 individual cases of measles have been confirmed in 23 states, the largest number of cases reported nationally since 1994 and since measles was declared eliminated in 2000.