Spooner Health Updates Visitor Policy to No Visitors; Strongly Advises Community to Stay Home and Call First

SPOONER, WI (March 21, 2020)— Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Spooner Health has made the difficult decision to update its visitor policy until further notice. Effective Monday, March 23, Spooner Health will no longer allow visitors into the facility. Exceptions include: 

• Pediatric patients in the emergency department with one healthy caregiver
• Inpatient patients who are receiving end-of-life care (provider will make that determination)
• Vulnerable adults with one healthy caregiver 

All visitors and patients will be screened for COVID-19 upon registration and all visitors and patients must enter through the emergency department. These protective measures will help prevent the spread of this virus. 

Call First, We’ll Make the Call 

Officials urge residents who suspect they may have Coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms to call first before visiting Spooner Health or Essentia Health-Spooner Clinic.  As a result, limited resources can be most efficiently used for those in our population who are elderly, have compromised immune systems or serious medical conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and lung disease.  

“Patients who are mildly ill with coronavirus are able to recover and manage their symptoms at home. If you have symptoms including a fever of greater than 100.4°, cough, sore throat and/or shortness of breath, you don’t need to be seen by a provider immediately,” says Dr. Patrick McCann, Emergency Department Medical Director. These patients are first asked to self-quarantine their entire family at home. If symptoms continue for three full days, call 715-635-2111 to review your symptoms with a triage nurse, who will determine next steps. 

“Waiting three days before contacting us ensures medical staff can treat the correct condition and helps to determine if the severity of the symptoms requires medical attention,” says Dr. McCann. 

“As a community, we will overcome this situation together, neighbors helping neighbors and caring first for those most in need. It’s this spirit of family that has always defined who we are as a community and I’m so proud to see how our employees and providers are pulling together. It’s inspiring,” says Mike Schafer, CEO of Spooner Health. 

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Spooner Health

Spooner Health is a licensed 25-bed critical access hospital with a wide range of services from emergency and inpatient care to outpatient therapy, surgery and diagnostic imaging. Spooner Health is dedicated to providing high quality healthcare with excellent service.