Unwanted visitors; As flu spreads, hospitals set limits.

Byline: Aaron Nicodemus

SOUTHBRIDGE - With the flu sickening patients throughout Central Massachusetts, Harrington Memorial Hospital and a handful of other hospitals throughout the region have decided to bar children from visiting patients.

Starting tomorrow, Harrington Memorial will not allow children 16 and younger to visit patients at its Southbridge facility, as well as at Harrington HealthCare at Hubbard, located in Webster. It is the first time that administrators at Harrington have decided to bar children from visiting the hospital, according to Sue Valentine, a nurse who oversees the hospital's infection control program.

"We have not seen an influx, but we are starting to see a few (flu cases)," said Ms. Valentine yesterday. "We know it's out there, and we know it's a matter of time."

Ms. Valentine said the H1N1 flu virus is the main reason the hospital has decided to bar children, although the fact that both H1N1 and seasonal flu are hitting people at the same time was a factor.

Harrington joins UMass Memorial Health Care in Worcester in barring children from visiting the group's hospitals. Last week, UMass Memorial implemented a policy barring children 14 and younger from visiting patients at its three hospitals in Worcester. (UMass Memorial had originally announced children 13 and younger would be barred from visiting).

Wing Memorial Hospital in Palmer, an affiliate of UMass, has implemented the same policy as UMass Memorial, barring children 14 and younger.

Other Worcester County hospitals, although not all of them, are considering barring children from visiting patients as the H1N1 flu spreads throughout the region.

A spokeswoman for Heywood Hospital in Gardner said the hospital staff met yesterday to consider barring children 18 and younger from visiting patients. The policy, if approved, would take effect later this week.

A spokeswoman for UMass Memorial - HealthAlliance Leominster Campus said the hospital's visitation policy "is currently being re-examined by our team," and that the hospital will hold a press conference tomorrow

to discuss changes.

Central Massachusetts seems to be leading the way statewide for instituting new visitation policies as a result of the flu incidents in the region. So far, except in Central Massachusetts, only hospitals in Fall River, New Bedford and Wareham have sought to bar children 18 and younger from visiting their maternity wards and pediatric units. At Day Kimball Hospital in Putnam, children 18 and younger are not allowed to visit new babies in the Burdick Family Birthing Center at Day Kimball Hospital.

Most hospitals - even the ones that have not sought to bar children from visiting patients - are already asking that adults and children exhibiting flu symptoms not visit the hospital. They also are requiring people who are sick with the flu who have to visit the hospital or emergency room to wear a surgical mask.

St. Vincent Hospital in Worcester and Athol Memorial Hospital have refrained from barring children, but have asked that people exhibiting flu symptoms stay home. Clinton Hospital, Marlboro Hospital, Milford Regional Medical Center and Nashoba Valley Medical Center in Ayer did not respond to a reporter's inquiries.

ART: PHOTO

PHOTOG: T&G Staff/CHRISTINE PETERSON

CUTLINE: A flu station is set up inside the main entrance of Harrington Memorial Hospital. Beginning tomorrow, the hospital will bar children 16 and younger from visiting patients.