Wooster Community Hospital remains vigilant in providing a safe environment for our patients and staff.  As we continue to deal with the current public health crisis, below is our current visitor policy in place as of  May 2022. We appreciate your understanding as we work through this challenging time together.

COVID Positive Patients (any unit)

No visitation during periods of high transmission.
Exceptions for end of life/ compassionate care must be approved by nurse managers.

Visiting Guidelines:

Visiting Hours:

1. PCU & Medical/Surgical: Visiting is encouraged from 9 AM-8 PM. After hours visitation is discouraged in order to promote sleep and rest for our patients
2. Woman's Pavilion:
   1. Support People: 3 healthy adult support people. Same 3 people for entire hospital admission. (If Doula or community midwife is used this will be considered 1 of the 3 support people)
   2. Postpartum Visitation: Postpartum begins 3 hours after birth until patient goes home.Visitation may occur only during the following times:
      • 10 AM-11 AM sibling (s) (of newborn) with 1 or 2 child caregivers
      • 6 PM-7 PM open visitation for newborn siblings and healthy visitors 14 and over
3. Inpatient Rehab: No children under the age of 10. No more than 4 visitors at one time. Visiting hours are as follows:
   1. Monday – Friday: 4 PM – 8 PM
   2. Saturday: 2 PM – 8 PM
   3. Sunday: 11 AM – 8 PM
4. Transitional Care Unit: It is preferable that visitors visit between 10 AM and 8 PM however the residents may have visitors 24 hours a day. Members of a Transitional Care Unit residents' immediate family, guardian, physician, friends, sponsors, spiritual advisor, or ombudsman may visit at any time unless the resident objects. The resident has the right to withdraw consent for visitation at any time.
5. ICU:
   • Patient visitation is limited due to patient condition and patient care needs
     1. ICU visiting hours are 9 AM-8 PM
     2. Visitors are limited to 2 per patient at a time
   • Children under 14 years of age are not allowed to visit in ICU
   • Flowers or live plants are not permitted in patient rooms
6. Emergency Department (ED):  2 designated support persons per patient. Special circumstances will be considered.
7. Outpatient Infusion: 2 support persons over the age of 14 per patient. Phone conference calls can be utilized for those who are not able to attend.
8. Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU): parents, or guardian may stay with child (17 years old and younger) in PACU
9. Day of Surgery: Two support persons may visit in the patient's room or ambulatory care at any time prior to surgery
10. Hospice patients may have visitors at any time.
11. We encourage visitors to have discretion in bringing small children into the hospital due to possible exposure of the child or patient to infectious diseases and/or the hospital milieu.
12. Visitors and patients are encouraged to discuss special visiting needs, such as staying at hospital overnight, with the patient's nurse.

Additional Guidelines:

• You will be prompted to use hand sanitizer and will be required to wear a mask at all times.
• If visitors do not follow infection control guidelines, caregivers can ask them to leave the facility and restrict their visitation privileges. For support, call the Patient Advocate line at (330) 263-8727.

Hospital staff will make every effort to connect with you regularly to discuss your loved one’s condition and needs. You are welcome to call the nursing unit for updates or you can contact the patient directly using their cell phone or their hospital room phone.

ICU (330) 263-8370
PCU (330) 202-5640
MS2 (330) 287-2740
MS3 (330) 287-2940
Emergency Department (330) 263-8444
Ambulatory Care (330) 263-8271
Women’s Pavilion (WP) (330) 202-5540
Transitional Care Unit (TCU) (330) 287-5900
Inpatient Rehab Unit (330) 263-8421
Hospital Operator may connect directly to patient's room (330) 263-8100

Monoclonal antibodies are medications that are similar to antibodies normally produced by our bodies in response to an infection.  There are multiple monoclonal antibody medications on the market used for a variety of diseases.  Monoclonal antibody medications for COVID-19 mimic antibodies that target the virus that causes COVID-19.

These medications have been granted Emergency Use Authorization for treatment of people who have tested positive for COVID-19 with mild to moderate symptoms who are at risk of progressing to a severe form of the disease including potential hospitalization or death.  Monoclonals for COVID-19 are not used in patients admitted to the hospital or who require oxygen due to COVID-19 infection.

How does monoclonal antibody treatment minimize COVID symptoms?   The medications interfere with the ability of the virus, that causes COVID-19, to enter and infect human cells.  By decreasing the power of the virus to infect our cells, monoclonal antibody treatment helps our own immune system respond to the infection.

How is monoclonal antibody treatment beneficial?  Monoclonal antibody treatment can decrease the chance that a person infected with COVID-19 becomes more ill to the point of hospitalization or even death.

 When should the treatment be administered?  These medications should be given as soon as possible after testing positive for COVID-19 and must be given within 10 days of when symptoms first begin.

IMPORTANT: Treatment with monoclonal antibody therapy is NOT a SUBSTITUTE for VACINNATION. Treatment for an acute illness such as COVID-19 is never a better option than preventing or limiting the illness.

At this time, the monoclonal antibodies have also been granted emergency authorization for post-exposure prophylaxis in patients at high-risk of progression to severe disease who are not fully vaccinated or not expected to mount an adequate response to vaccination and are a close contact to an infected individual or at high risk of exposure (such as in a nursing home outbreak). Due to demand to treat those that are positive and LIMITED SUPPLY, WCH continues to prioritize treatment of patients with a laboratory confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis.

Treatment with monoclonal antibodies for a COVID-19 diagnosis REQUIRES an order from a healthcare provider. A COVID-19 monoclonal antibody therapy referral line is available to process referrals from healthcare providers in our community and to evaluate patients to ensure that they meet the eligibility criteria.

COVID-19 Testing

If you are NOT experiencing severe symptoms, PLEASE do not use the WCH Emergency Room for COVID-19 testing purposes.  Testing location:

DRIVE-THRU Testing - WCH and Bloomington Medical Services have closed the COVID drive-thru testing location at 2326 Eagle Pass, Wooster, OH 44691 due to low volumes of cases. 

WALK-IN COVID testing is available at the NowClinic, located at HealthPoint, 3727 Friendsville Road, Wooster, OH 44691.

Turnaround time for test results will be same day or up to 2-3 days. Wooster Community Hospital employees are unable to give results over the phone. Please note that test results will be available through the ordering provider or through our patient portal WCH eCare.

Learn what you need to know about COVID-19 and how you can protect yourself and your family. Get information on symptoms, testing, what to do if you are sick, and at risk groups. Find tips for managing your daily life, including going out, running errands, and coping with stress.

CDC Website: COVID-19 Information

Can I get a COVID-19 antibody test without an appointment?

Appointments are required for testing at the Bloomington Medical Services testing site.

I have a doctor's order for an antibody test.  Can I use this order at the WCH site?

The Bloomington Medical Services site only provides self-ordered testing. We are unable to perform antibody tests with a doctor’s order at this site.  WCH Lab services do perform antibody testing with a physician order.  If you have an order you can go to one of our outpatient lab testing sites to have this testing performed.  Just make sure to bring your physician's order.  No appointment is necessary.

 Can you charge the cost of the antibody test to my insurance?

Testing at the Bloomington Medical Services collection site is self-pay by credit card only. We are unable to bill your insurance at this site.

If you want your insurance billed, your physician will first need to submit an order on your behalf. This testing will be performed by Wooster Community Hospital Lab and can be drawn at any of our locations. Contact your insurance provider to understand your coverage for antibody testing and to confirm whether Wooster Community Hospital is an in-network hospital laboratory. *Testing at Bloomington Medical Services at WCH Medical Offices on Eagle Pass will be for those with no physician order only*

Can I get a COVID-19 antibody test for a child under the age of 18?

Testing at the WCH site is only available for adults, age 18 and above.

I am not an Ohio resident.  Can I get an antibody test?

At this point, antibody testing is only available for Ohio residents.

Fact sheets:

COVID-19 Moderna Vaccine Fact Sheet
COVID-19 Pfizer Vaccine Fact Sheet
COVID-19 Johnson & Johnson Fact Sheet

Community Vaccine Location Map

How does the new COVID-19 vaccine work/ or how does it protect me?
The mRNA COVID-19 vaccines contain instructions to teach our cells to make a piece of the virus that cause COVID-19 infection. The piece of the virus by itself is harmless. However, our bodies recognize it and mount an immune response against the virus protein, building up immunity in case we are exposed to the actual virus in the future. These vaccines cause immunity without ever having to be exposed to the actual or weakened form of the virus. Therefore, the vaccines cannot cause COVID-19 infection. It’s important emphasize the importance of the second dose. After the first dose, protection against the virus is only 50%. The second shot brings the rate of protection to the virus up to 95%.

How effective is the COVID vaccine?
Both the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and Moderna vaccine have been shown to be about 95% effective at preventing people from developing symptoms of COVID-19 infection. Studies for these vaccines gave participants either a vaccine or a placebo shot. People were then followed to see if they would develop COVID-19 infection; not just test positive, but also have symptoms. 95% fewer people became sick with COVID-19 if they were given the vaccine compared to people who were given a placebo shot.

Is the accelerated timeline for development and approval safe?
All the usual phases of vaccine research were completed for the COVID-19 vaccines. No steps were skipped. However, due to the nature of a pandemic, development and distribution of the vaccines were made more efficient by doing some phases of research at the same time instead of one after the other. Time was also saved by producing multiple vaccines even before the results of the research was known. The safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines underwent full review by a group of independent medical experts who recommended their emergency approval by the FDA. It is important to note that these vaccines have also been found to be safe and effective for use in other countries. The development of the COVID-19 vaccines did not start from scratch. A lot of the science that went into the vaccines was already known based on decades of research on Coronaviruses as well as mRNA vaccines.

Can we resume normal life as soon as we are vaccinated?
The vaccines should be the first step in getting life back to normal, but it will take time. A significant portion of the population needs to be vaccinated to gain enough immunity against the virus to prevent its significant spread. We know that the COVID-19 vaccines significantly decrease the chance of developing symptomatic COVID-19 infection. However, it has not yet been proven that the vaccines stop a vaccinated person from having and spreading COVID-19 infection without having any symptoms. Therefore, people who have received the vaccine still need to wear a mask
and social distance to prevent possible asymptomatic spread until this question is answered.

How long does the vaccine’s protection last?
It is not yet known how long the COVID-19 vaccine will provide protection from infection. It is possible that boosters could be needed in the future, however, more research over time is needed to answer that question.

COVID-19 Virtual Visit with a Provider - If you are having symptoms of COVID-19 such as a fever, cough, body aches, or respiratory symptoms, you can choose this option to have a telemedicine visit with a healthcare provider.  Your insurance will be billed, but no co-pay or out of pocket cost for anyone.  This option will be available M-F 8am-5pm.

For more information about our WCH TodayCare app, visit our webpage at https://www.woosterhospital.org/telehealth-virtualvisits/

CORONAVIRUS: YOU CAN MAKE A REAL DIFFERENCE

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