Assemblyman Eichenstein Calls on Hospitals to Improve Communications Between Patients and Families

With the rising number of patients being taken into hospitals following the outbreak of Coronavirus, an issue of top concern is the limited communication between patients being treated for COVID-19 and their worried families who cannot enter hospitals.

In light of the spread of the deadly virus, hospitals across the State have announced visitor policies that basically prevent families or even a companion to be at the bedside of a patient being treated for Coronavirus.

Assemblyman Simcha Eichenstein said he has received dozens of calls from family members that are desperately awaiting status updates on their loved ones and he is calling on hospitals to improve communications and have a patient representative available to update those waiting on the other side of hospital walls.

“While we are all looking out for each other’s safety, we cannot have thousands of family members left in limbo,” Assemblyman Eichenstein said, while recognizing the need to keep visitor policies in place.

“We must find a way to empower patient reps to communicate and serve as a liaison between hospitals and family members desperately awaiting to hear updates on the status of their relatives who are fighting for their lives,” the Assemblyman continued.

Many hospitals are expecting to be filled to capacity within days, and some are already dealing with an unexpected huge influx of patients. The visitor policies are said to be in place in order to protect those visiting from being infected with the virus.