hospital bed Cape Fear Valley Medical Center has put restrictions on which units people under age 16 can visit because of the continuing high number of RSV and flu cases in the Fayetteville area.

The restrictions also apply at Betsy Johnson Hospital in Dunn, which is part of the Cape Fear Valley Health system.

The restrictions affect anyone younger than 16 with the exception of parents and patients, according to a news release.
As of Nov. 17, the medical center reported 23 patients with the flu, 11 patients with respiratory syncytial virus, and 13 patients with COVID-19, the release said.

Visitors younger than 16 will not be allowed in Cape Fear Valley Medical Center’s Family Centered Care Unit; Neonatal Intensive Care Unit; pediatrics or pediatric intensive care unit; or the labor and delivery unit. At Betsy Johnson Hospital, the restrictions apply to the labor and delivery and pediatrics units.
Other areas of the hospitals remain open for visitors 12 and older who are with a parent or guardian, according to the release.

“We feel this is a necessary step to protect the vulnerable populations in these units at this time,” said Susan Dees, chief nursing officer of Cape Fear Valley Health.

Cape Fear Valley’s current visitation policy is available online at www.capefearvalley.com/visit.
Under current policy, most patients who have not tested positive for COVID-19 are allowed as many as two visitors at a time between 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., the news release said. Some units have more restrictive visitation rules. All non-COVID patients are allowed to have one visitor stay overnight in the patient’s room if space allows, but overnight visitors cannot leave and return after 8 p.m.

COVID-19 patients are allowed one visitor per day between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m., the release said. They must wear masks and gowns during their visit, the release said.

In the Emergency Department, visitors are not allowed in the waiting room, but one visitor is allowed when the patient has been assigned a room.