As of noon today, Ascension Via Christi Hospital will be enacting additional visitation restrictions designed to protect patients and staff as COVID-19 has reached Southeast Kansas and a growing number of surrounding counties.
This includes our Emergency Department in Fort Scott, which is also no longer allowing visitors. Exceptions for the following units, where one visitor will be allowed in:
● Labor and Delivery
● 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 Randy Cason, President of Ascension Via Christi Hospital in Pittsburg. “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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About Ascension Via Christi
In Kansas, Ascension Via Christi operates seven hospitals and 75 other sites of care and employs more than 6,000 associates. Across the state, Ascension Via Christi provided more than $33.6 million in community benefit and care of persons living in poverty in fiscal year 2019. Serving Kansas for more than 135 years, Ascension is a faith-based healthcare organization committed to delivering compassionate, personalized care to all, with special attention to persons living in poverty and those most vulnerable. Ascension is one of the leading non-profit and Catholic health systems in the U.S., operating 2,600 sites of care – including 150 hospitals and more than 50 senior living facilities – in 20 states and the District of Columbia. Visit
www.ascension.org.