If you have loved ones in the hospital at Spectrum Health Lakeland there are some new things you need to know before you head over to visit them, thanks to flu season.
As in many parts of the United States, residents of Michigan’s Great Southwest are experiencing an increase in the flu. To help protect the health of Spectrum Health Lakeland patients, team members, and visitors, the hospitals are instituting a revised visitation policy. First and foremost, any visitor who has not had a flu shot will be asked to wear a mask while in the facility.
Community members are asked to stay home and not visit loved ones at the hospital if they:
- Are currently sick and/or contagious
- Have a fever, runny nose, cough, body aches
- Are not an immediate family member of a hospitalized patient
- Are less than 18 years old
There is no cure for the flu. The flu shot may prevent the flu or reduce symptoms. Medications can reduce the severity of symptoms and shorten the duration of the illness. Most people with flu will have a mild illness and can treat symptoms by:
- Staying home
- Getting plenty of sleep
- Drinking plenty of fluids
- Taking over-the-counter medicines to reduce fever and body aches
You are encouraged to go to the emergency department if you or a loved one are experiencing difficulty breathing, dizziness, pain or pressure in the chest/abdomen, severe or persistent vomiting, or other severe symptoms.
The extra measures at Spectrum Health Lakeland are in place until the system says otherwise during the current flu season.
