Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox limiting ER visitors

Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox is limiting visitors and support people to one per patient in its emergency department.

The reason is the high volume of patients with respiratory viruses and norovirus that Silver Cross is seeing, said Debra Robbins, director of marketing and communications for Silver Cross.

She said the high volume “isn’t unprecedented; it’s really seasonal.”

“But many people who have come to the ER have comorbidities that make these viruses hit them harder than someone who doesn’t have a chronic health condition,” Robbins said.

Fortunately, emergency department wait times were “significantly shorter” Wednesday, she said.

“But to keep our patients safe, we are going to maintain our policy of one visitor/support person in the ER waiting room for the time being,” Robbins said.

Robbins said Silver Cross also has two urgent care locations. Patients must be registered 30 minutes before closing.

The New Lenox location is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Saturday at 1851 Silver Cross Blvd., Suite 100, New Lenox, on the west side of the hospital campus. For more information, call 815-300-ASAP (2727).

The Mokena location is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at 21205 S. Owens Road, Mokena. For more information, call 815-300-CARE (2273).

For information, visit silvercross.org.