FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Elizabeth McCown
Director of Risk & Legal Affairs/Public Information Officer
Guadalupe Regional Medical Center
emccown@grmedcenter.com
830.401.7314 

[Seguin, Texas] March 21, 2020 — In light of the growing concern with COVID-19 spread and with the news yesterday that San Antonio has community transmission of the virus, the healthcare systems in San Antonio announced Friday that they jointly agreed to limit all non-essential planned surgeries and procedures, including dental procedures until further notice. This practice is in compliance with the recommendations issued by the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services and is a critically important step in limiting the spread of COVID-19. Consistent with this guidance, decisions about surgery will continue to be determined by those surgeons who have direct responsibility to their patients.

Guadalupe Regional Medical Center, in alignment with San Antonio area hospitals, will begin a no visitor policy (with exceptions for special patient populations) effective 6 am on Sunday March 22, 2020. One visitor will be allowed only for the following circumstances: Childbirth, End of Life, parent of pediatric patients, and goodbye visit of military personnel departing for deployment. Out-patient surgery patients will need to arrange to be dropped off and picked up.

Visitors will continue to be screened for travel, fever, and respiratory symptoms and no visitors under the age of 13 allowed. At this time we have closed the Patient Tower entrance and will be processing patients through the Central and ER entrances. The Central tower entrance is open Monday-Friday 6 am-6pm and the ER entrance is open 24 hours a day.

GRMC knows that social and emotional support are important aspects of patient care. We have a team of IT and counseling professionals working to arrange alternate methods of communication to keep our patients linked to their families.

COVID-19 is a serious situation and continues to evolve. GRMC will continue to evaluate and respond to provide the best and safest care possible in these challenging times.