Posted on July 17, 2021
COVID-19: Protecting our patients, staff and community
Updated: July 17, 2021
Mary Free Bed’s priority is the safety of our patients, staff and community. Our experts are working diligently to protect everyone’s health through enhanced protocols and added resources. These measures follow national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines and State of Michigan mandates due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital does not provide urgent care or primary care services. Call your primary care physician if you’re experiencing COVID-19 symptoms or have a medical question.
OUTPATIENT SERVICES
We’re excited to be able to serve you in person again, and we’re making it safe and easy to get the care you need at several convenient locations. If you’d rather receive virtual services from home, we can do that, too.
In-Person Visits
You can feel confident coming to see us. We’re following CDC and State of Michigan guidelines for disinfecting, distancing and wearing protective gear to protect your health and ours. Here’s what you can expect:
- Before your appointment, a patient service coordinator will let you know what to bring with you, share visitor guidelines and social distancing practices.
- We’re doing a brief health screening with everyone who enters, including temperature checks.
- You’ll be asked to wear a mask (or a face shield if you’re medically unable to wear a mask) and sanitize your hands.
- Staff members will wear protective gear and take necessary precautions to safely care for you.
- We’re sanitizing all equipment and surfaces in our waiting areas, treatment rooms and everything in between with disinfectant proven effective against COVID-19.
Click here to find a location near you.
Virtual Services
Connect with your doctor and therapy team in the comfort and safety of your home. Using secure technology, we make an online video call to your smartphone or tablet for evaluations and treatment. Call 616.840.8005 or 800.668.6001.
ORTHOTICS & PROSTHETICS + BIONICS
Mary Free Bed Orthotics & Prosthetics + Bionics clinics across Michigan, as well as custom seating and assistive technology services, are available to serve you. As with all our outpatient services, patients and parents or guardians of pediatric patients will complete a brief health screening and be asked to wear a mask (or a face shield if you’re medically unable to wear a mask) and sanitize your hands.
O & P + B staff members are on-call 24/7 for emergencies. If you have a question, call the location closest to you:
- Grand Rapids – 616.840.8007
- Muskegon – 231.798.0047
- Holland – 616.392.6240
- Lansing – 517.337.0300
- Saint Joseph – 269.429.3292
- Kalamazoo – 269.353.6895
- Saginaw – 989.583.3040
VISITORS
We’ve taken precautions to protect our patients, their loved ones and Mary Free Bed employees by reducing the number of people coming in and out of the Grand Rapids main campus hospital each day as well as at our outpatient locations.
Care managers share visitor guidelines with inpatients and their families. They work with those patients to identify designated visitors, and a list is at the West Entry check-in desk.
Inpatients
All visitors will sign in at the West Entry check-in desk, be screened (see questions below) and must wear a surgical or homemade mask (or a face shield if you’re medically unable to wear a mask). No one younger than 18 can visit. We’re helping patients stay connected with loved ones through virtual visits and by phone.
- Adult inpatients: Two visitors – When you’re admitted, you’ll choose two designated adult visitors for the duration of your stay.
- Mary Free Bed Kids: Two visitors – A maximum of two designated parents/caregivers will be determined at the time of admission for the duration of the patient’s stay.
- ReCOVery℠ Unit: (or patients currently in isolation for COVID-19) No visitors – These areas are for patients recovering from COVID-19.
- Sub-Acute Rehabilitation: Patients who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and unvaccinated patients who complete the CDC-required 14-day quarantine period are allowed TWO designated adult visitors.
*Visits are scheduled through Sub-Acute Rehabilitation recreational therapy by calling 616.840.8831. Visits must be scheduled one business day in advance; same-day requests cannot be accommodated due to the volume of requests. No one younger than 18 may visit. - Inpatient rehabilitation (Network locations) – Follow visitor policies at the Network hospital.
Outpatients
- Outpatient therapy— One adult family member/caregiver at Mary Free Bed locations. (At Network locations, follow visitor policies.)
- Orthotics & Prosthetics + Bionics – One adult family member/caregiver.
Visiting hours – Hours are 8 a.m.-8 p.m. daily at our hospital on the main campus in Grand Rapids. Visitors may take patients outside on the third-floor terrace, weather permitting.
SAR visiting hours – Hours at 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, and 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Visits are limited to one hour and must take place in designated areas on the Sub-Acute Rehabilitation floor. Outdoor visits are permitted if the patient is appropriate to go outside and can be transported by family to the outdoor seating areas. Patients must be signed out/in with the recreational therapist or nurse when leaving/returning to Unit.
Screening – Everyone (patients, designated visitors/caregivers, employees, vendors) is screened for COVID-19 symptoms and risk factors upon arrival at a Mary Free Bed location.
You’ll be asked:
- Do you have ANY of the following symptoms that have started or gotten worse in the past 48 hours:
- Fever >100
- Cough or shortness of breath
- Loss of taste or smell
- Vomiting
- Do you have two or more of the following symptoms that are NEW or have worsened in the past 48 hours?
- Chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, diarrhea, congestion/runny nose, fatigue or nausea
- Have you had a vaccination for COVID-19 in the last three days?
- Have you had close contact with someone who is suspected of or has tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 14 days WITHOUT wearing PPE?
If you answered YES to the any of these questions:
- You will not be allowed to enter.
- If you’re a patient, please call to reschedule your appointment.
SAFETY TIPS
To prevent the spread of illness and protect yourself, follow these guidelines:
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
- Maintain a safe social distance of at least six feet apart.
- Stay home if you’re sick.
- Cover coughs and sneezes.
- Avoid others who are ill.
STAY INFORMED
Does your workplace or office need a COVID-19 informational poster? Download one here.
For more information, visit:
