Rallies to Support Children as Visitors in Hospitals
As you may know, I’m involved on the leadership of EmPoWeReD Birth, an advocacy group for birth in Eastern PA. In that capacity, I am writing this note, and ask you to share it.
As you may have seen recently, Lehigh Valley area hospitals, along with many hospitals across the country, have made the decision to ban all children under the age of 18 from the hospital as “visitors.” This is a “temporary” ban for flu season, but as you probably know, the flu season extends until April or May, so we are looking at a ban that could easily last 6-7 months.
To be sure, we think it is a wise practice at ANY time for anyone who is exhibiting signs of the flu to avoid visiting a hospital as a visitor.
However, the EmPoWeReD Birth leadership is concerned about this ban on children across the board. We recognize that it affects more than just maternity patients–in some cases people report that visits from children have produced documented improvements in the medical condition of a hospital patient, such as a lowering of blood pressure. However, we are keeping our focus to maternity, though there is considerable over-lap with the interest of persons who are hospitalized for other reasons. So in that, our points of concern with the ban are:
- We believe that early visits between older siblings and the new baby are an essential part of family bonding. While web-casting, which is being considered at one hospital, is a nice attempt at compromise, we do not believe it is in the best interest of healthy families.
- We are concerned that this ban could prove to have a greater impact on lower income families, or families who are new to the area, who may not be able to find accessible childcare.
- We are concerned that this ban is being implemented without any evidence that children are more likely to be carriers of the virus, or to be more likely to “share” the virus. Even the CDC reccommendations for hospitals do not include any mention of prohibitting children from visiting the hospital. As such, the bans represent blatant “age-ism.” Yes, children sneeze without covering their mouths. Yes, children fail to wash their hands enough. So do adults.
- We are concerned that this ban could prove to be trend-setting. That is, we are concerned that it might get implemented again each year, resulting in children being unable to visit both new siblings, or ill relatives, for half the year. This would be a step back for the “family centered” changes that have been hard won in recent decades.
- We feel that this ban is an over-reaction to the situation at hand. President Obama, in declaring the swine flu issue an emergency, reported that 1000 people have died this year from the swine flu–that is, 1000 people in 9 months.* To put this in some perspective, 1000 people die every 9 DAYS in America in vehicle crashes. Yet we don’t see the correlarry marketting campaign going on to protect child passenger safety–”if you bring a child into the hospital, you will be required to prove that the child is using the appropriate child safety seat correctly before being able to leave.”
Given that, EmPoWeReD Birth intends to do the following:
- issue a press release to the media with our position
- engage in conversation with local hospitals
- hold rallies outside 2-3 of the large local hospitals. The hospitals being considered are Easton Hospital on Nov 6, St. Luke’s Bethlehem on Nov 6, and Lehigh Valley at Cedar Crest on Nov 7.
What we ask from you:
- please plan to attend one or two of the rallies we will hold on November 6 & 7.
- please send us your stories of why you think it is important to have children be able to visit in the hospital.
- if you are currently expecting a baby, and this ban will impact you–whether it is your own children being banned or nieces, nephews, beloved friends…please tell your story.
- if you are willing to be interviewed by the media, please e-mail us at empowered.birth@yahoo.com
- post about this on your status, share flyers with pregnant people you meet, put them up anywhere there is a “community bulletin board” that you can post on.
Thank you!
Jenn Riedy
President and Board Member
EmPoWeReD Birth
Tags: activism, Easton Hospital, hospital visitor, Lehigh Valley Hospital, rally, St. Luke's Hospital