Visitation
Most ER patients are allowed to have one designated visitor once their assessment is complete. Until that time, you may be asked to wait socially-distanced in the waiting room or your vehicle. The visitor is also screened upon entry and must wear a mask while in the Emergency Department.
Patients who are confirmed or suspected to have COVID-19 are not allowed visitors. For an end-of-life situation, a patient may have two designated visitors.
Emergencies Don't Stop, and Neither Do We
Early in the pandemic, hospitals urged people to stay home unless absolutely necessary. Unfortunately, some took the stay-at-home message too literally—including those suffering from heart attack or stroke who stayed home far longer than they should.
Some patients stay home because they do not want to burden a health care system that is potentially overburdened by this pandemic. In our Emergency Departments in particular, we are always prepared to care for the next person who needs our help. That is always true whether it is a car wreck, heart attack or pandemic.
Safety Precautions
Some patients stay home for fear of catching COVID-19 in the Emergency Department. We screen patients at our doors or in the ambulance or medical helicopter before they arrive to make sure we limit the chance of making anyone else ill. We also take the time to decontaminate each room after every patient, but especially anyone we think might have an infectious disease, before the next patient enters. Staff are continuously cleaning and wiping down surfaces in public and patient areas.
Our staff is following safety guidelines set by the CDC and the State of Mississippi and Alabama to protect your safety.
Our first desire, even before we consider how to make someone well, is to make sure we don’t let anyone get sick because they came to us for care. Please don’t let anything get in the way of getting the care you need.
Radiology Services
Screening, Diagnostic and Procedures
Radiology services at North Mississippi Medical Center locations are now fully resumed, including screenings.
What We’ve Always Done to Keep You Safe
- Washing our hands before and after every patient.
- Cleaning equipment between every patient.
Additional Measures We are Taking
- All employees and providers must wear a mask
- Employees, providers and patients are all screened for temperature and symptoms at the door
- Employees and providers attest daily that they are symptom-free
- More in-depth cleaning and disinfecting after a COVID-19 patient is cared for in our facility
- Strategic spacing in waiting rooms or asking patients to wait in their cars until time for their appointment
- Only one visitor or caregiver allowed per patient (if necessary)
Thank you for your patience while we worked to slow the spread of COVID-19. Now that regulations have changed, we are looking forward to serving you again.
Please don’t let fear keep you from getting needed health care screening and treatments. We are working to provide our patients with the safest care possible while continuing to limit the spread of illness and fulfilling our mission of continuously improving the health of the people of our region.
Clinic Locations
We are still here for you!
And we’re working to keep you safe during in-person appointments
- Screening all patients, visitors and employees using CDC recommendations for symptoms and
exposure risk.
- Offering several options for virtual care to minimize exposure – www.nmhs.net/virtual-care.
- Wearing personal protective equipment while providing patient care.
- Redesigning waiting rooms and check-in processes to ensure social distancing.
- Implementing additional techniques to disinfect all equipment and surfaces.
What You Can Do
You play an important role in your own safety, so please partner with us by:
- Contacting your doctor’s office before your appointment if you are experiencing:
- Temperature of 100.4 degrees or higher
- Chills
- Cough
- Muscle pain
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Sore throat
- New loss of taste or smell
- Download the MyChart app to make it easier for us to communicate with you.
- Help us socially distance by attending your visit alone if possible. One caregiver per patient may accompany you if needed.
- Masks are required. We strongly encourage you to bring your own mask.
- Bring these important items:
- List of medications
- ID
- Insurance card
- Form of payment
- Refill requests
- Arrive early to undergo screening precautions.
- Stay safe by performing proper hand hygiene, wearing face masks and practicing social distancing.
Sleep Studies
Our staff at the North Mississippi Medical Center Sleep Disorders Centers in Tupelo, Eupora, Iuka and West Point doesn’t want you to lose any sleep worrying about the safety of a sleep study. We have safety measures in place to ensure that staff and patients follow social distancing, masking and overall safe practices during sleep visits, including:
- All employees and providers must wear a mask.
- Patients are screened for temperature and symptoms upon arrival.
- All patients are required to wear a mask when interacting with staff. Masks are provided if the patient does not have one. -Guests arrive and depart one at a time to maintain social distancing.
- Studies are performed in private rooms, complete with sophisticated equipment to monitor sleep patterns, breathing, heart activity and body movements. Proper HEPA filters are used in these rooms and changed after each patient use.
- Electrodes used in the sleep studies are single use and are disposed of after each study.
- Hand sanitizer stations and personal protective equipment (PPE) stations are in place for use by patients and staff.
- Extra care and attention to cleaning is provided in guest rooms as well as the rest of the facility.
Surgical Services
Your Connection for Emergent and Elective Surgeries
We will be following the latest safety precautions and guidelines set forth by the State of Mississippi and Alabama in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Safety Precautions
We’re backed by our experience and results, and our safety precautions have never been stronger:
- These precautions include screening of physicians and staff involved in patient care. All surgical patients and their designated visitor will undergo a COVID-19 screening upon arrival.
- Patients will receive a mask. Visitors are required to wear the masks for the duration of their visit. We will continue to observe social distancing in public areas.
- Our visitation policy for inpatients allows one designated visitor per day for surgical patients. Visitation is limited to one visitor (the patient's designated driver) before and after surgery for outpatient surgical patients. The visitation policies protect patients and staff from the spread of COVID-19.
Our additional safety measures will be in place as long as needed to reassure the public that it is safe to access care at our facilities.
