No children under 12 allowed on Children's Hospital patient floors starting Oct. 1

BIRMINGHAM, AL (WBRC) - Patient visitation rules are changing at Children's Hospital in Birmingham.

Children under 12 are being asked to stay away for several months.

The new policy starts on Sunday, Oct. 1 and will remain in effect through April 1.

The policy restricts those visitors under the age of 12 from going onto inpatient floors.

The biggest reason for this change is to protect those who are hospitalized.

Many times, patients can have weakened or vulnerable immune systems.

With October to April being considered as flu season, the goal is to protect patients from being exposed to the virus along with colds and stomach bugs that tend to float around during those fall and winter months.

Officials say their concern is also a little heightened when they look at statistics that say nearly half of children in the U.S. do not get a flu shot each year.

"That's a little startling to think about, but everyone has their opinions on vaccines and whether that's appropriate for their child or not," says Barbara Lovvorn, a nursing division director for the hospital. "So just knowing that, potentially, half of the children coming in as a visitor may not have had their flu shot and you can be contagious without having symptoms."

Lovvorn says this is an across the board policy.

She says exceptions will be judged on a case by case basis.

Officials suggest family members or visitors under the age of 12 use FaceTime or Skype to visit with patients during the flu season.

If a patient is strong enough, they may be able to go the lobby and visit.

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