Care Center limits visitation to reduce spread of illness

Northern Montana Care Center has put visitation restrictions in place to try to reduce the spread of illness to residents at the long-term care center.

“We are trying to keep everyone as healthy as possible during the holiday season,” said Christen Obresley, vice president of regulatory and community services at Northern Montana Health Care. “Individuals wishing to visit a loved one at Northern Montana Care Center should contact the nurse before visiting. Individuals are encouraged to wash their hands before and after visiting; masks are available to assist in the prevention of spreading germs.”

Obresley said the restrictions will remain in place until residents of the care center are symptom-free.

Illness has been spreading throughout the area including severe colds and outbreaks of norovirus, a very contagious virus that is the most common cause of gastroenteritis, commonly called stomach flu, in Montana and the U.S.

A release from Montana’s Department of Public Health and Human Services recommends following simple tips to prevent the spread of norovirus and many other infectious illnesses:

• Practice proper hand hygiene: Wash your hands carefully with soap and water, especially after using the bathroom or changing diapers and always before eating or preparing food. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers can be used in addition to hand washing. But they should not be used as a substitute for washing with soap and water.

• Take care in the kitchen: Carefully wash fruits and vegetables, and cook oysters and other shellfish thoroughly before eating them.

• Do not prepare food while ill: People who are infected with norovirus should not prepare food for others while they have symptoms and for three days after they recover from their illness.

• Clean and disinfect contaminated surfaces: After throwing up or having diarrhea, immediately clean and disinfect contaminated surfaces. Use a chlorine bleach solution with a concentration of 1,000–5,000 parts per million — generally 5 to 25 tablespoons of standard household bleach per gallon of water — or other disinfectant labeled as effective against norovirus.

• Wash laundry thoroughly: Immediately remove clothing or linens that may be contaminated and wash with detergent at the maximum length available cycle, then machine dry. Handle soiled items carefully — without agitating them — to avoid spreading virus.

More information is available on the state health department website at dphhs.mt.gov.