New rule at UC Hospital denies younger visitors entry

A trip to the hospital is never a good thing.

Assuming you aren't the person being rushed in via ambulance, it means seeing a loved one or friend who isn't doing so hot. And sometimes these visits end up being the last one.
Now, at the UC Hospital, some restrictions have made it so that anyone 12 or under can't make that trip at all.

The Pandemic Task Force at the hospital, led by Michelle Barron and Charlie Little, is the group that made the decision.

"It's a multidisciplinary group that discusses these types of situations," said Barron. The task force then passes its suggestion along to the higher-ups in the hospital, and this particular one got put into effect.

The hospital's newest rules say that those below the age limit are not permitted into the hospital to visit anyone, be it their mom, brother, or best friend.

"This is mainly because 12-year-olds and under, in general, are challenging to make wear masks or use hand hygiene like they should," explained Barron. "It's the attention span at that age."

Not only that, but Barron and Little are worried that letting in the young ones could spread H1N1. The average age of patients with the feared strand of flu is 15.

The rule was set into place two weeks ago, and there were some mix-ups at first.
"There was confusion in terms of who could and who couldn't come," Barron said. "We were lenient for the first four or five days."

And this isn't the first time this restriction has been put into place. During some flu seasons, the hospital will put this rule back into effect in order to help quell the tide of flu patients.

However, Barron explained, they've never had a restriction at this level of enforcement.
Once a restricted visitor is spotted, security will page the charge nurse for the patient being visited and ask what condition they're in. If the patient is stable, the visitor is asked to leave and simply keep in touch over the phone.

"It's not a 100 percent restriction," Barron said. "If they're declining in health or might not make it, we let them say their goodbyes."

Not many know about this new rule, but when informed, some have the same response: disbelief.

"Who has the right to not let someone's own child to see their own family member?" asked Mansour Shirzai, a pre-med student at UC Denver. "Anyone can be a carrier for H1N1, not just kids. That's prejudice."

Lindsey Rosendale, another student at UCD, was similarly shocked.

"That's horrible. If it's just a cold, I get that," explained Rosendale. "But they don't always know the condition of the patient and something could happen. I don't think it's right to put down a ground rule like that."

Despite frustration, the rule continues to stick.

Some areas of the hospital are immune to this restriction, but others enforce it at all times.
"Our transplant floor has that restriction year-round," said Barron. Yet the emergency department and the OB department both make exceptions.

"If someone is with their child and needs help, we can't turn them away or make them wait while they figure out other arrangements," Barron explained. "They need treatment now."

It won't be for months, after the H1N1 pandemic has slowed, that younger crowds will actually be allowed in to visit.

"I would estimate March or April," Barron said. "It depends on if the flu virus starts to wane or resurges."

Until that happens, for patient and staff safety, 12-and-unders will be kept out of the hospital.