Your safety is our priority
Over the last few months, the community has come together by staying apart. You’ve stayed home, made sacrifices and put off the important things – like doctor’s appointments and health screenings. But now at Christian Hospital we are ready to care for you - with new safety precautions and other important steps to make your visit an easy one and get you back to the care you need.
When you visit, you’ll notice some things are different. This was done with your safety in mind.
PARKING
Parking is not restricted. You’re welcome to park in the regular areas and then follow the signs that will direct you to the proper entrance.
TESTING
At this time, patients coming in for surgeries and some procedures are required to be tested for COVID-19 as part of the standard pre-procedure process. We will work with you to schedule the test and refer you to the proper testing site. If needed, you will have your COVID-19 test 48-72 hours in advance of the scheduled procedure, and then will need to quarantine yourself between the testing and the procedure to reduce your risk of exposure.
For those coming in for an office visit, our staff will guide you through temperature and wellness checks prior to your appointment.
MASKING
Patients, visitors and staff must wear face masks at all BJC HealthCare facilities. Review complete masking guidelines.
CHECK-IN
We have redesigned our registration process to reduce contact. In many cases, you may remain in your car and complete most of the registration over the phone. Then, a member of your care team will provide instructions for you to safely enter the facilities. If you come by public transportation, there will be an area for you to wait outside for your check-in.
For those coming in for office visits, you may notice additional clear shields around front desk areas and reconfigured waiting rooms. This is intended to protect against virus transmission. We’ll also encourage electronic payment when possible. You may also have the ability to do an e-check in to fill out paperwork and pay for your visit on your smartphone or computer as soon as your appointment is scheduled to reduce time inside the office.
VISITORS
One visitor is welcome to accompany you for surgery, and should also bring a personal mask. He or she will be screened upon entry into the hospital and can stay with you until surgery. At that time your visitor will be invited to wait in the private pre-op room and will receive updates from your care team. If you need to be admitted, the visitor may see you in the recovery room, but rooms are exclusive to patients at this time. Read BJC HealthCare’s full visitor policy for more information.
SOCIAL DISTANCING
Signs and floor decals are being installed throughout our hospital to illustrate the six feet recommended for social distancing between you and others. Chairs in our waiting rooms and tables in our cafeterias have been rearranged to comply with spacing recommendations.
CLEAN COMMON AREAS
In addition to our normally stringent cleaning protocols, our environmental services team has increased its sanitization protocols around the facility. You may see additional people wiping down handrails, elevator buttons and chairs throughout the day. Hand hygiene stations are positioned throughout the hospital to encourage frequent hand washing.
PATIENT ROOMS
To help protect you the entire time of your stay, our environmental services teams remains focused on CDC protocols to disinfect high-touch areas in patient rooms such as door handles, light switches, and tables. The lounging chairs in patient rooms are made of textiles that are easily cleaned. And, traffic in and out of patient room is limited to essential staff and visitors.
EMPLOYEE PRECAUTIONS
All employees working at a BJC facility are screened daily for symptoms. We emphasize proper hand hygiene and provide the appropriate gowns, gloves, and masks in accordance with CDC guidelines.
We encourage our staff to practice social distancing whenever possible in an effort to keep one another safe and ready to care for you. When the job allows, our non-clinical staff has been asked to work from home to limit the traffic through our facilities.
OUR PROMISE TO YOU
When you come to Christian Hospital, you will find a clean and disinfected environment with safety precautions such as social distancing and masking in place. Signs will guide you around the facility, and even though we have limited visitors, we promise to keep those important to you informed.
Don’t ignore something as important as your health. When you are ready for us, we will be ready for you.