GREENFIELD — Baystate Franklin Medical Center has “cautiously” reopened to patients who need elective surgeries, procedures and screenings, according to Baystate Health.
Deb Provost, who is the northern region vice president and chief nursing officer for Baystate Franklin and chief administrative and regulatory officer for Baystate Health, said the reopening began on June 15.
Provost said only urgent and emergency cases have been done in surgery and endoscopy to date due to the governor’s orders, but all medical patients continued to be admitted to the local hospital based on diagnoses.
“That has not wavered or changed during the entire pandemic,” she said.
As of June 21, Baystate Franklin had no positive cases of COVID-19 and no people under investigation for having the virus.
Provost said all of the hospital’s beds are open and available. Currently in-house, there are medical, surgical, obstetrical, behavioral health and critical patients being cared for by the hospital’s team.
“It has been slowly returning to the ‘new normal,’” she said.
Provost said the largest influx the local hospital ever saw of positive COVID-19 patients was in mid-March through April, but there is a “downward trend” at this time.
“We have had no COVID-19-positive patients for more than three weeks,” she said.
The hospital also announced last week that it has welcomed back visitors on a limited basis. As the state continues to lift pandemic-related restrictions, Baystate Franklin and the other system’s hospitals have resumed visitations, but only from noon to 8 p.m. at this point.
“We are eager to welcome back visitors and create a more healing environment for all, with policies that are necessary to protect the health and safety of our patients and staff,” said Baystate Health’s Vice President of Operation Nancy Shendell-Falik.
Non-COVID-19 patients are allowed one visitor at a time and obstetrical patients who are in labor are allowed one birthing partner or one visitor. One parent or guardian or one visitor is allowed in a minor’s room.
Still no visitors are allowed for COVID-19 patients except those who are under the age of 18, in which case one parent or guardian is allowed, Shendell-Falik said. Hospice patients and end-of-life patients are allowed one person or clergy member per day, while patients with intellectual and physical disabilities are also allowed one companion.
Visitors are not allowed in common areas like waiting rooms, the cafeteria and gift shop, and all visitations are at the discretion of Baystate Franklin.
For more information, visit baystatehealth.org.
Reach Anita Fritz at 413-772-9591 or afritz@recorder.com.