Cape Fear Valley Health is limiting visitation and requiring some staff masking to tackle the region’s increase in cases of respiratory illnesses, the health system announced on Jan. 10. 

Pearce said Cape Fear Valley has seen a worrying increase in pneumonia cases across its emergency departments this year. The health system’s emergency departments have seen more than 1,250 cases of pneumonia since Oct. 1, 2024, the start of respiratory illnesses season. That’s an over 98% increase from last season when the emergency departments saw just 630 cases.

The Medical Center alone saw 652 cases of pneumonia across its adult and pediatric emergency departments this season, more than double last season’s total.

Flu numbers are down in the system’s emergency departments from last season, with only 746 cases compared to 3,050. Flu cases across the region are decreasing, according to data from the state’s Department of Health and Human Services. However, the region still has the highest number of cases in the state.

Updated visitation policies

Visitors to most areas of Cape Fear Valley Health facilities must now be at least 12 years old. Previously, anyone six and older could visit one of the health system’s facilities.

An adult must still accompany any minor visiting a facility.

“We’re seeing a lot of respiratory illness in our emergency departments and everywhere else,” Brian Pearce, the health system’s vice president of operations and development, said in a press release. “Limiting younger children from visiting can help protect those children as well as our patients.”

Visitation hours remain from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and most patients can still have up to two visitors at a time during those hours. One overnight visitor per patient continues to be permitted, given there is enough space in the patient’s room.

Patients in any of Cape Fear Valley Health’s five emergency departments cannot have any visitors in the departments’ waiting rooms unless they are 65 years or older or have a cognitive impairment. Once in a room, a patient is allowed one visitor at a time. 

Child patients in Cape Fear Valley Medical Center’s Children’s Emergency Department can have one guardian or parent in the waiting room. Only when a child is given a room can they have two guardians or parents present.

Patients requiring a health care decision-maker or communication assistance can have one person designated as a “Care Companion” with them.

Other specific visitation policies are as follows, per the health system’s press release:

  • Patients in Labor and Delivery can still have three designated support people who are 16 years old or older stay with them throughout their stay in the department. Those in the department’s Family Centered Care Unit — a unit for birthing people and their children to bond post-delivery — can have two visitors at a time.
  • Parents and legal guardians can visit a pediatric patient at any time, however no more than two people can be in a patient’s room at a given time.
  • Two visitors wearing visitation bands and four other designated visitors can visit the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at the Medical Center. The two banded visitors must be identified to the center’s secretary desk and only two people can be at the baby’s bedside.
  • End-of-life patients can have up to four people at their bedside at one time. However, the nursing supervisor can allow compassionate exceptions.

Visitors can stay updated on the health system’s visitation policy by going to the policy page on its website.

Some staff must mask up, but visitors not required to

As of Friday, staff working in the health system’s emergency departments and its intensive care, step-down and long-term acute care units must wear masks when interacting with patients. Masks are also required for frontline staff and those in contact with patients with symptoms of respiratory illnesses at Cape Fear Valley Health clinics. ExpressCare facility workers must all wear masks.

While not required, the system encourages all staff to mask up for any patient encounter.

Unless a patient is experiencing symptoms of a respiratory illness, they are not required to wear a mask. The system strongly recommends visitors mask up at its facilities, but masking is not required.

“We encourage everyone to practice good hand hygiene, get their flu vaccine and wear a mask if they are experiencing symptoms but must go out in public,” Pearce said.

Visitation across the region’s health systems restricted

Cape Fear Valley isn’t the only health system that’s updated its visitation policy this respiratory illness season. Duke Health and UNC all limited patient visitors this month, according to reporting from ABC 11. WakeMed instituted its seasonal visitation restrictions in December 2024.

Duke Health’s visitor guidelines are available on its website. WakeMed’s restrictions can be found on its website. UNC’s guidelines are available on a given facility’s website.

CityView Reporter Morgan Casey is a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms. Morgan’s reporting focuses on health care issues in and around Cumberland County and can be supported through the CityView News Fund.