Ascension Via Christi no longer allowing visitation with few exceptions

As of noon Mon., March 23, Ascension Via Christi’s Wichita hospitals enacted the following visitation restrictions designed to protect patients and staff as COVID-19 has reached Sedgwick County and a growing number of

Kansas counties.

This includes three acute-care hospitals, Ascension Via Christi St. Francis, St. Joseph and St. Teresa, and Ascension Via Christi Rehabilitation Hospital, which are no longer allowing visitors except for the following

units, where one visitor will be allowed in:

● Labor and Delivery

● Newborn Intensive Care Unit

● Pediatrics

● Pre- and Post-operative Care

These visitors must meet the screening criteria being employed at the entry points, which for visitors are limited to the main lobby, ER and, at St. Francis, second-floor entrance from the parking garage.

End-of-life visitation needs will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Everyone else is encouraged to lend their support through the use of virtual platforms, such as Facebook or Skype.

“We appreciate the role family plays in the healing process and the importance of the presence of loved ones during family milestones,” said Sam Antonios, MD, chief medical officer for the Wichita hospitals. “However,

our first priority continues to be protecting our patients and staff and helping slow the spread of COVID-19 in our community.”

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