Visitation Changes for Portion of St. Michael Hospital

You've probably already heard about this by now but just in case you haven't things will a little different when you visit CHRISTUS St. Michael Women’s and Children’s areas of its hospitals.

After a statewide alert from the Texas Department of State Health Services and an increase in cases of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) in our area, CHRISTUS St. Michael's visitation for that wing of the hospital has changed for the health of their staff and people visiting the hospital.

"No visitors under the age of 18 will be allowed in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, the Mother/Baby Unit, or the Labor and Delivery Unit."

According to a recent press release, “With the masking and hand hygiene practices in place across our community [for COVID-19], we did not have the normal respiratory virus season in the fall and winter as we have in years’ past,” said Ashley Wilson, BSN, RN, CIC, Infection Preventionist. “This spring and summer, we have seen abnormally increased occurrences of RSV. In order to protect our newborns, youngest and most critically ill and injured infants, we are instituting this temporary visitation restriction.”

Since the beginning of June CHRISTUS St. Michael has seen at least 25 pediatric cases of RSV. This recent increase of RSV activity in the pediatric population throughout the area and the state of Texas has spurred CHRISTUS St. Michael to change visitation practices for these areas.