St Joseph's Hospital

Due to the significant decrease in COVID cases in our community, all restrictions on visiting or accompanying patients at St. Joseph’s Hospital, Candler Hospital, Lewis Cancer & Research Pavilion, Pooler Campus and Bluffton Campus have been lifted as of March 22, 2022. Visitors and co-workers will still be required to wear masks when inside the hospitals or other St. Joseph's/Candler facilities at all times. https://www.sjchs.org/covid-19/visitor-restrictions

St. Joseph’s/Candler has partnered with a number of churches in Savannah to bring the COVID vaccine into convenient and comfortable locations. We have open appo...intments next week in West Savannah, East Savannah and the south side. Appointments can be made online at http://www.sjchs.as.me. We also know that many people may have questions about the vaccine. Hear what medical experts at St. Joseph’s/Candler and community leaders are saying at sjchs.org/vaccine. Tuesday, 4/20, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. New Generation Full Gospel Baptist Church 2020 Tennessee Avenue SJCHS.as.me/NewGeneration Wednesday, 4/21, 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. First Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church, 310 Alice Street SJCHS.as.me/FirstTabernacle Thursday, 4/22, 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Kingdom Life Christian Fellowship Savannah, 425 W. Montgomery Cross Road SJCHS.as.me/KingdomLife Or, call us to schedule an appointment at 912-656-8804 or 912-777-8762.

St. Joseph’s/Candler will begin lifting certain restrictions for in-person visitation for non-COVID inpatients and outpatient services beginning October 12, 202...0. MODIFIED RESTRICTIONS INCLUDE: HOSPITAL VISITATION for Non-COVID 19 Patients: -- Inpatients will be allowed ONE designated visitor a day during visiting hours. Visiting hours are restricted to six hours: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. -- Visitors must enter through the main lobby of each hospital and are asked to remain in the patient’s room for the duration of the visit. Visitors may purchase food items in the cafeteria or café’s to go but must return to the patient room with the items. -- Visitors will be screened upon entry, including temperature checks. Visitors who do not pass the screening questionnaire, have a fever or are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms or flu symptoms will not be allowed to enter. -- No visitors under the age of 18 years will be allowed at this time. -- Visitors must wear a mask at all times, including when in a patient room. -- Labor and Delivery patients are allowed ONE designated visitor for the duration of their hospital stay, not limited to visiting hours. -- Pediatric patients are allowed TWO designated visitors per patient for the duration of their hospital stay. -- Hospice and end-of-life patients may have immediate family members visit, with no restrictions. -- Surgery patients will be allowed ONE designated visitor for the duration of surgery/recovery. If a patient is admitted, ONE designated visitor a day is allowed during visiting hours. -- Emergency Room patients are allowed ONE designated visitor for the duration of their visit. If a patient is admitted, ONE designated visitor a day is allowed during visiting hours. Emergency pediatric patients are allowed two designated visitors. -- For the safety of patients, co-workers and visitors, COVID-19 patient visitor restrictions remain in place. POOLER CAMPUS, HEART AND LUNG, PROFESSIONAL OFFICE BUILDING: Outpatient and Physician Offices -- ONE visitor may accompany a patient with an appointment. -- Visitors will be screened upon entry, including temperature checks. Visitors who do not pass the screening questionnaire, have a fever or are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms or FLU symptoms will not be allowed to enter. -- No visitors under the age of 18 will be allowed unless they are the patient. -- Visitors must wear a mask at all times. -- Pediatric patients who have an appointment may have TWO designated visitors present. TELFAIR BIRTHPLACE Visitor restrictions for the BirthPlace remain the same as they have been during the pandemic. Only ONE designated visitor is allowed for the duration of the patient's hospital stay, not limited to visiting hours. NANCY N. AND J.C. LEWIS CANCER & RESEARCH PAVILION, BLUFFTON CAMPUS and ALL ADDITIONAL ONCOLOGY AFFILIATED PRACTICES AND LOCATIONS: Due to the health risks associated with patients undergoing cancer treatment, visitor restrictions remain in place for these locations until further notice. For more information, visit https://www.sjchs.org/covid-19/visitor-restrictions.

St. Joseph’s/Candler continues to take steps to keep you and your loved ones safe if you are a patient at any of our hospitals or outpatient facilities. All our co-workers are required to wear medically-approved masks. When you do come to our hospitals, you will be screened for fever and other symptoms. You also will be given a mask to wear if you do not already have one. Additionally, we are limiting elevator capacity to four people and practicing other social distancing met...hods, such as spacing out sitting arrangements. The Visitation Policy continues to be no visitors. The exceptions are Labor and Delivery, patients who are minors, outpatient surgery and emergency department patients, which are allowed only one visitor who must be screened and wear a mask. We assure you we are taking all precautions to keep you safe when you come to our facilities.

Positive COVID-19 admissions at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Candler Hospital continue to increase. St. Joseph’s/Candler has implemented its surge plan to ensure a...ll patients COVID-19 as well as acute care patients - are cared for safely and effectively. St. Joseph’s/Candler views this as a 12-month deployment, which began March 2020 and will extend through March 2021, and has re-calibrated operations to adjust for the dual environment of treating acute care medical and surgical patients and COVID-positive, infectious disease patients. The current surge plan contains: Four different levels allowing for the admission of up to 115 COVID-positive patients between the two hospitals, in addition to the normal number of acute care beds available for regular patients. Construction will begin this week to create an additional 30 beds in the meeting rooms at St. Joseph’s Hospital and the Marsh Auditorium at Candler Hospital, if needed. Total COVID-19 capacity will increase to 145 beds. In anticipation of increased numbers, including future admissions in the fall due to flu, we are ramping up staffing to include additional contract nurses through March 2021. All areas of PPE supplies, from masks to eye shields, have been inventoried. Purchases have been increased to account for Level 4 surge rates through March 2021. Visitor restrictions remain in place. No visitors are allowed, except for the Telfair BirthPlace and one support person for those in Outpatient Surgery and the Emergency Department. At this time we have the appropriate supply of PPEs and the infection prevention protocols in place to continue surgical services. Since the pandemic began we have learned a great deal about how to protect our co-workers and still provide the needed surgeries those in our community require. The Emergency Departments are open and safely isolating those who are symptomatic for COVID-19 from those who have other emergency needs. We encourage the community to be vigilant about masking, social distancing and other precautions to prevent the further spread of this virus.

A male patient at St. Joseph's Hospital has tested positive for COVID-19. The patient, who is from Effingham County, is isolated and in stable condition at St. ...Joseph's Hospital and every precaution was taken to protect other patients and our co-workers from transmission of the virus. The patient and their family have been notified. The risk of exposure to the public was and remains low. We have been preparing for the potential spread of the virus since it was first identified and our facilities and co-workers are in a state of readiness to care for the sick and help curb its spread. We are following the latest guidelines from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as the Georgia Department of Public Health.

A female patient at Candler Hospital has tested positive for COVID-19. What It Means For The Public The patient is isolated and in stable condition at Candler H...ospital and every precaution was taken to protect other patients and our co-workers from transmission of the virus. The patient and their family has been notified. The risk of exposure to the public was and remains low. We have been preparing for the potential spread of the virus since it was first identified and our facilities and co-workers are in a state of readiness to care for the sick and help curb its spread. We are following the latest guidelines from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as the Georgia Department of Public Health. St. Joseph’s/Candler does have visitor restrictions in place to combat the spread of COVID-19 and to protect our patients. If you have flu-like symptoms, we ask that you not visit our facilities. Patients will be allowed only one designated visitor a day. This person will need to be an immediate family member or the primary care taker (note: there are no visitors allowed on our skilled nursing units). Visitors will be asked to sign in each day at each hospital lobby and will be issued a visitor pass. Please help us encourage other extended family members to use other means of communication (telephone, FaceTime, Skype, etc.). Visitors who have symptoms consistent with the COVID-19 virus should not enter St. Joseph's Hospital, Candler Hospital or any of our outpatient facilities unless seeking treatment. In that case, please call ahead. Symptoms and criteria include: Fever. Shortness of breath. Cough (lower respiratory illness). International travel or contact with someone who traveled. Children under 18 are not allowed to visit patients in St. Joseph's Hospital and Candler Hospital. No visitors are allowed on the Skilled Nursing Units at each hospital. Check with your loved one's caregiver to see if they are in a Skilled Nursing Unit. Visitors at the Nancy N. and J.C. Lewis Cancer & Research Pavilion will be screened for symptoms and restricted to one family member per person. Only one family member may accompany patients in our outpatient medical offices. If you have symptoms consistent with COVD-19 and a travel history to known areas of transmission, call your doctor or the emergency department prior to arriving at a healthcare facility. Or see a doctor online at smartcare247.com. Prevention Measures Wash your hands often with soap and warm water for at least twenty seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands. Avoid close contact with people who are sick. Stay home when you are sick. Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash. Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces. If you have recently traveled to areas where there are ongoing outbreaks of COVID-19 and you develop fever with cough and shortness of breath within fourteen days of your travel, or if you have had contact with someone who is suspected to have COVID-19, stay home and call your health care provider or local health department right away. Be sure to call before going to a doctor’s office, emergency room, or urgent care center and tell them about your recent travel and symptoms.

Our top priority at St. Joseph’s/Candler is to protect our patients and co-workers. To that end, we are enforcing visitor restrictions beyond what we have during flu season to combat COVID-19. We are asking our community to take these restrictions seriously and help us contain the spread of this serious disease. - Visitors who have symptoms consistent with the COVID-19 virus should not enter St. Joseph’s Hospital, Candler Hospital or any of our outpatient facilities unless se...eking treatment. In that case, please call ahead. - Symptoms include: * Fever. * Shortness of breath. * Cough (lower respiratory illness). * International travel or contact with someone who travelled. - At this time, only 2 visitors are allowed per patient in St. Joseph’s Hospital and Candler Hospital. Please do not bring extended family to the hospital. - Children under 18 are not allowed to visit patients in St. Joseph’s Hospital and Candler Hospital. - No visitors are allowed on the Skilled Nursing Units at each hospital. Check with your loved one’s caregiver to see if they are in a Skilled Nursing Unit. - Visitors at the Nancy N. and J.C. Lewis Cancer & Research Pavilion will be screened for symptoms and restricted to one family member per person. - Please limit family members accompanying patients to our outpatient medical offices to essential visitors only.

Flu restrictions for visitors have been lifted for all St. Joseph's/Candler campuses.

Due to the rapidly increasing number of flu cases in our area, St. Joseph’s Hospital and Candler Hospital are implementing visitor restrictions to protect patients, visitors and our co-workers. * Do not visit any St. Joseph’s/Candler patient if you have any signs or symptoms of influenza. * Children under the age of 18 are not permitted to visit any patients at St. Joseph’s/Candler. * Those under the age of 18 cannot visit patients at the Telfair Birthplace at Candler Hospita...l unless they are the primary caretaker. * Only children seeking treatment should come to the hospitals. * Children under the age of 18 are not permitted to wait for family in any waiting area. * Patients can only receive two visitors at a time, except the Emergency Department where one visitor is allowed. https://www.sjchs.org/media-center/news-story?news=148

Phone lines are currently down at St. Joseph's Hospital. It is not affecting patient care. We'll post an update when the lines are back up.

Did you know emergency rooms are not "first-come, first-served?" Patients are organized using the concept of triage, which usually means treating the sickest ones first. That means wait times can get long during busy times of year. http://www.sjchs.org/ed-wait-times