By Owen Boss
Staff Writer
NORTHAMPTON - A recent drop in reported swine flu cases has prompted officials at Cooley Dickinson Hospital to lower the age restriction on a new flu-related temporary visitation policy last week.
Earlier this month, the hospital instituted a temporary policy that restricted children under 18 from visiting patients, in response to high rates of swine flu cases among members of that age group. This week, at the recommendation of infectious disease specialists, hospital officials changed the age limit to children under 14.
Meanwhile, Christina Trinchero, a spokeswoman for the hospital, said exceptions to the policy will be made on a case-by-case basis and age restrictions will be revisited each week as swine flu surveillance statistics come in from area clinics.
Although she acknowledged that the new policy has generated a mixed response from the community and hospital patients, she said that response didn't play a role in the decision to lower the age restriction.
"It is really about where the flu was as we were tracking it both nationally and locally," said Trinchero. "Our paramount concern is the well-being of the patient."
One area resident unhappy with the temporary visitation policy is Belchertown resident Eileen Martinez, who is upset that when she goes into labor next month, her 7-year-old daughter may not be able to see her or meet the newborn in the hospital.
Martinez said she was notified about the policy last week, and her first response was to call around to other area hospitals to see if she could deliver her baby in a facility that would allow her daughter to visit. What she found, she said, is that hospitals across the state have enacted similar age restrictions.
"I think this policy is extreme, and I think they need to understand the impact that it has on the families of patients," Martinez said. "I offered to get my daughter vaccinated and give her a mask to wear and the first response I got was `no' because all it takes is one kid sneezing."
Trinchero said officials will take the best interest of the patient into consideration when deciding whether an exception to the visitation policy is warranted.
"We will be reviewing the policy on a case-by-case basis," Trinchero said.
The recent policy change from 18 to 13 doesn't help Martinez, who said she has gone to great lengths to reach out to hospital officials for an exception to the rule, so far without satisfaction.
"What is supposed to be this incredible experience is being marred by this very rigid policy," Martinez said. "They could restrict visitors in general, they could limit the amount of time they visit, you could require masks, or only allow siblings of the children. There are a lot of places where they could make an exception, and they were pretty stiff about it."
The policy also has Martinez worried for a friend of hers who is also pregnant and is preparing for a birth by Caesarean section at the hospital this week.
"This is more about the stress that the policy puts on mothers," Martinez said. "My friend's children had planned to have presents ready when they went to visit their new little brother, and here she is going into surgery and having to plan how to take care of her other two children, their emotional needs and her own emotional needs."
Another criticism Martinez has of the visitation policy is that it is based solely on the age of the visitor and not other factors such as where they work or how likely they are to have come in contact with the disease.
"I work in a school, and right now you're telling me that my daughter can't come visit me but my co-workers can, and none of them have been vaccinated because there isn't enough vaccine," Martinez said. "It is just very hard and frustrating."
For updates about the visitation policy at Cooley Dickinson or information about preventive measures taken to slow the spread of the H1N1 virus, visit the hospital's Web site: http://www.cooley-dickinson.org.
Owen Boss can be reached at oboss@gazettenet.com.
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