Tag: Berkeley Medical Center

Some Hospitals In W.Va. Will Remain Under A ‘No Visitor’ Policy As State Continues To Reopen

Updated on June 19, 2020 at 5:30 p.m.

As West Virginia continues to ease coronavirus-related restrictions this week under Gov. Jim Justice’s safer-at-home order, including nursing home visitations, some hospitals in the state are choosing to keep their doors shut to most visitors.

This week, WVU Medicine announced it would begin easing visitation restrictions at their hospitals statewide ⁠— except WVU Medicine East in the Eastern Panhandle. 

 

A zero visitation policy remains in effect at Berkeley Medical Center and Jefferson Medical Center, with exceptions for end-of-life care, pediatrics, the neonatal intensive care unit, and obstetrics patients. To enter the hospital, everyone is required to wear a mask at all times. 

 

The two medical centers are the only hospitals to serve Berkeley and Jefferson Counties, with the exception of the Martinsburg VA Medical Center.

 

WVU Medicine said in a news release the decision to keep the no visitor policy in place in the Eastern Panhandle was because the region continues to see an increase in coronavirus cases. 

 

Berkeley County has seen the highest number of new positive cases in the state for weeks. 

 

Charleston Area Medical Center Health System has had a no visitor policy in place since March, but that changed on Jun. 15, 2020 when the health system began implementing a phased reopening for visitations. The health system will enter phase II of its reopening on Monday.

 

Mon Health System, however, began easing its visitation restrictions on June 9, requiring all visitors to wear masks and to be screened at the entrance. To date, visitors under 18 are still prohibited, and visitors will be asked to use hand sanitizer before and after visiting a patient’s room or the facility.

Appalachia Health News is a project of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, with support from Marshall Health and Charleston Area Medical Center.

Ebola Seminar Helps Ease West Virginians' Worries

In an open seminar at the Berkeley Medical Center in Martinsburg, Ebola preparedness was the focus of discussion. It’s been in the headlines across the country for a while now, but should West Virginians really feel at risk of contracting the disease? Doctors in the state say West Virginians have little to fear.

To help the public understand what’s really going on with Ebola, a public seminar hosted by the University Healthcare Berkeley and Jefferson Medical Centers was held at the West Virginia University Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center in Martinsburg.

The first half of the seminar explained Ebola and the second, how prepared area hospitals are to handle it. Wayne Selzer is one of the 100 community members who attended the seminar.

“Level of preparedness can never be high enough, and the best level of preparedness is self-preparedness,” said Selzer, “So more seminars like this, along with public involvement as well will help calm who have fears against those with no training whatsoever.”

Dr. Matthew Simmons, the infectious disease specialist at Berkeley Medical Center, was one of the speakers. He says he felt like the seminar helped calm any fears the community might have, but they don’t need to feel like they have to be prepared.

Credit Liz McCormick / West Virginia Public Broadcasting
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West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Dr. Roberta DeBiasi, chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Children’s National Medical Center.

“There’s very little that a person in the community has to do to protect themselves from Ebola at this point, because the risk of transmission is so low,” noted Simmons.

Dr. Roberta DeBiasi, the chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Children’s National Medical Center says you only have to worry about the virus if you’re showing symptoms.

“It really is very, very important as to where you have been, because it’s really not a widespread epidemic. It’s not at all spreading in the United States,” said DeBiasi, “So unless you had those symptoms, and you were in contact, like you were a nurse or a doctor and took care of a patient who had Ebola, then we would not worry that you had Ebola virus.”

DeBiasi tried to help put it into perspective that more people die from influenza in the US than Ebola.

“I think it’s just human nature, if it’s unusual we’re a little more nervous about it, even if it’s not really a thing you should be worried about,” said DeBiasi.

The final message the doctors gave the audience was simply…to stay calm.

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