Jackson, Tennessee (March 20, 2020) – Jackson-Madison County General Hospital in Jackson, TN and the Jackson-Madison County Regional Health Department were notified of a confirmed case of novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) today. The patient lives in Chester County, but was treated in Madison County.
The patient was immediately placed in isolation and appropriate protocols have been implemented in accordance with the Tennessee Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Out of respect for patient confidentiality, the hospital is unable to provide any additional details about the patient’s treatment.
This case was not unexpected. Hospital staff members are well prepared for this situation and continue to operate under rigorous infection control procedures. Infection control teams at West Tennessee Healthcare hospitals are using a combination of best practices to help ensure that any virus does not spread to other patients, healthcare workers or the community. This includes having protective equipment and isolation areas to protect staff and others from airborne exposure to COVID-19. Further, our clinicians train year-round to respond to any potential outbreaks of infectious diseases.
West Tennessee Healthcare visitation policies changed recently in order to further protect patients and healthcare workers. NO visitors will be permitted to our inpatient facilities. The only exceptions will be:
- One parent or legal guardian of the patient who is a minor.
- Obstetric patients may have one support person to accompany them.
- Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) patients may have two parents who must remain in the room the duration of the visit.
- Patients at end-of-life may have a very limited number of visitors who must remain in the room for the duration of the visit.
- Patients undergoing surgery or procedures may have one visitor before and immediately after the procedure/surgery.
- If a single, approved designated visitor meets an exception, this individual must be determined at the time of hospitalization and may not be changed during hospital stay.
Patient safety is always paramount in the protection of our patients, visitors and staff. You can protect yourself from transmission of the virus by washing your hands often, avoiding close contact with others, staying home if sick, covering coughs and sneezes and cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched surfaces daily.
Those with general questions about coronavirus can call or go online using the resources below, which are updated regularly, including:
- The Jackson-Madison County Regional Health Department at https://madisoncountytn.gov/144/Health-Department or their hotline: 731-240-1771
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at cdc.gov/ncov
- The Tennessee Department of Health at www.tn.gov/health
- West Tennessee Healthcare website at www.wth.org
