Rush Foundation Hospital Confirms First Positive Case of COVID-19

Mar 26, 2020

This afternoon, Rush Foundation Hospital received notification from the Mississippi State Department of Health that the hospital had its first confirmed case of COVID-19. We cannot provide any additional information about the patient or any patient in our care due to federal healthcare privacy laws.

Our clinicians and staff are well prepared for this situation and constantly prepare to respond to any potential outbreaks of infectious diseases. We have comprehensive protocols and resources in place to ensure we are able to do so with the highest regard to health and safety.

“We have been anticipating this moment for several weeks and want to again stress how important it is that our community follows the guidelines from our medical professionals and the CDC,” said Fred Duggan, Chief Medical Officer for Rush Health Systems.

Out of an abundance of caution and in an effort to stem the potential spread of the virus, on Tuesday of this week, Rush implemented a system wide visitation policy that will remain in place until further notice:

No hospital visitors will be allowed, with limited exceptions. Only under the conditions below are visitors allowed to see patients and then only one visitor is allowed per day. 

• Laboring moms- spouse/partner
• Pediatric patients (including NICU) – parent/guardian (one per day)
• End of life situations – spouse/significant other/adult children
• Patients undergoing emergency surgery – one support person

All essential visitors will be screened through temperature checks and appropriate questioning.

• Patients with a visitor who we have deemed essential will be limited to one visitor per day.
• Visitors should stay in the patient room for the duration of the visit.

We continue to work closely with Lauderdale County Health Department and the Mississippi State Department of Health, as well as adhering to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. The health and well-being of our patients, visitors and employees remains our top priority. You can protect yourself from transmission of the virus by washing hands often, avoiding close contact with others, staying home if sick, covering coughs and sneezes and cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched surfaces daily. 

If you are concerned you may have Coronavirus (COVID-19), call our Coronavirus Hotline at 601.703.9913 to speak to a doctor for risk evaluation. The hotline is available every day from 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. 

Additional updates will be posted to Rush Health Systems Facebook page and on our COVID-19 website, rushhealthsystems.org/covid-19.