For a quick, easy-to-follow guide to help you make decisions and seek appropriate medical care, please click here for more information. 

**Aultman Medical Group is asking all patients with upcoming appointments who are experiencing cough, fever, sore throat or shortness of breath to please notify their provider’s office before arriving for their appointments. Additionally, if you have recently been in close contact with someone known to have COVID-19 or have recently traveled to an area with an ongoing spread of COVID-19, please contact the office in advance. 

Out of an abundance of caution to provide a greater degree of protection against the spread of COVID-19, we ask that all patients with previously scheduled appointments at an Aultman Medical Group practice arrive at their appointment unaccompanied. If necessary, one support person is permitted to escort each patient to their appointment on an as-needed basis.

In order to provide a greater degree of protection against the spread of COVID-19 to patients, staff and the community, Aultman is putting additional visitor restrictions in place at all facilities until further notice. Effective Saturday, March 21, 2020, at 12:01 a.m., visitors (non-employees) will no longer be permitted to visit. Patients and families will be given a letter explaining our position and rationale. Exceptions to this restriction include:

• Maternity: One visitor or caregiver per patient will be permitted with no time restriction.
• Emergency department: One visitor or caregiver per patient will be permitted with no time restrictions for the emergency department waiting area. The visitor/caregiver will only be permitted in the patient care area if the patient requires assistance or is a pediatric patient.
• Pediatrics and NICU: Two visitors or caregivers per patient will be permitted if they are in the facility before 7 p.m.
• Surgical patients: All inpatient/outpatient surgical patients are permitted to enter the facility based on scheduled procedures. One visitor/caregiver is permitted to remain with the surgical patient.
• In addition, exceptions can be made by clinical leadership for emergency situations (i.e. end-of-life, trauma) and for discharge instructions.

All visitors/caregivers noted in the exceptions above MUST first pass a screening for fever, flu/cold symptoms and travel to a foreign country in the last 14 days, or exposure to someone with a confirmed case of COVID-19. This screening will take place at all entry points at each facility.

In addition, all visitors/caregivers MUST be 16 years or older and must remain in the patient’s room. COVID-19-pending or positive result patients will NOT be permitted.

Visitors will NOT be permitted to access any Aultman nursing care facilities, including the Aultman Woodlawn campus and the Community Care Center in Alliance.

We are exploring options for virtual visitation for patients and families to communicate. If a patient has a wireless device, video calls are permitted and encouraged. We are also encouraging staff to offer extra support and understanding to our patients during this time.

Please keep in mind that we are limiting points of access at all Aultman facilities at this time:

• Aultman Hospital: emergency department, Bedford circle and Seventh Street circle
• Aultman Orrville Hospital: emergency department
• Aultman Alliance Community Hospital: emergency department, main hospital entrance and Professional Office Building entrance

• At Aultman Hospital main campus, we have reduced our stations at the cafeteria, Seasons Café and Express Mart to eliminate any self-serve items. In Seasons Café and the cafeteria, there will be no seating for the time being.
• At Aultman Alliance Community Hospital and Aultman Orrville Hospital, the cafeterias are not offering self-service stations and are encouraging to-go dining.

The Aultman Healthcare Delivery System is supporting the state of Ohio’s recommendation relative to the suspension of elective surgeries, minor procedures and pain management procedures. This is being done in order to protect patients and providers, preserve personal protective equipment and preserve inpatient bed capacity and other equipment for critically ill patients. 

Effective March 17, 2020, at 7 p.m., Aultman Health Foundation will be suspending all elective surgeries at all locations (including the main OR, cardiac OR, cardiac cath lab and electrophysiology lab at Aultman Hospital). In addition, all minor procedures and pain management procedures at all facilities will be suspended. However, the physician performing the procedure, in conjunction with their team, will retain final decisions during this period. This suspension will remain in place until Thursday, April 30, 2020, at which time we will re-evaluate our position moving forward. 

The Aultman Healthcare Delivery System will continue to provide elective imaging services at all of our facilities. All Aultman facilities will continue to screen patients for COVID-19 risk factors prior to arrival. In addition, all patients and their visitor will have a temperature screening and updated risk factor screening upon arrival.

COVID-19 has caused a national shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE). Aultman facilities are quickly running out of this critical safety equipment, which is needed to protect our staff on the front line. We are asking members of our community to consider donating any PPE they may have available in an effort to help protect our nurses and health care workers. For a list of specific items Aultman is accepting or for contact information to arrange pickup/delivery, please click here. 

Additionally, we are asking our community members for assistance in creating cloth face masks for our staff members. We need both materials and seamstresses to help us out! Donations of 100% cotton material, elastic and hair bands are gladly being accepted. In addition, we are working on obtaining additional fabric and supplies for any interested seamstresses. Just click the link below for instructions on how to make a cloth mask. You can also read the CDC’s instructions on how to make and use cloth face coverings by clicking here. If you are interested in donating, or have questions, please contact Lee Kenny by phone or text at 330-418-0886. 

Please note: Aultman Orrville Hospital is also accepting donated masks at the Emergency Department entrance or at the entrance to Dunlap Family Physicians. 

For sewing instructions, please see the written directions below or follow along with this video.

What you will need

• Cotton fabric. Please note: It is best to use different fabric prints or colors for the inside and outside of handmade masks. This will help to distinguish which side of the fabric was previously patient-facing. 
• Rope Elastic, beading cord elastic will work (you may also use 1/8” flat elastic)
• Cut the elastic 7” long and tie a knot at each end (DO NOT knot the ends of the flat)

You can make two sizes: Adult or Child

1. Put right sides of cotton fabric together. Be sure any fabric design is placed horizontally.

2. Cut 9x6 (Adult) or 7.5 x 5 (Child) 

3. Starting at the center of the bottom edge, sew to the first corner, stop. Sew the elastic with the edge out into the corner. A few stitches forward and back will hold this.

4. Sew to the next corner, stop, and bring the other end of the same elastic to the corner and sew a few stitches forward and back.

5. Now sew across that top of the mask to the next corner. Again, put an elastic with the edge out.

6. Sew to the next corner and sew in the other end of the same elastic.

7. Sew across the bottom leaving about 1.5” to 2” open. Stop, cut the thread. Turn inside out.

8. Pin 3 tucks on each side of the mask. Make sure the tucks are the same direction.

9. Sew around the edge of the mask twice.