Q: Is it safe to come to the hospital for care if I don’t have COVID?
Yes, absolutely. All of our Maui Health hospital and clinic locations are safe and have protocols in place to protect our patients, visitors, providers and employees.
All COVID patients are cared for in a separate, isolated unit. They are not mixed with the general patient population. Caregivers who have contact with positive individuals follow strict PPE (personal protective equipment) protocols and have been trained to safely enter and exit patient rooms.
Additionally, all employees, providers, patients, and visitors are required to wear a hospital-supplied medical grade mask while in the hospital, even if not providing patient care, and proper PPE is provided to all care providers, including N95 masks or respirators where needed.
Every patient, employee, and visitor who enters the hospital is screened for COVID-19 symptoms, and every patient admitted to the hospital receives a COVID test, with regular follow-up testing for patients who stay for an extended period.
We are limiting visitors to reduce traffic in and out of the hospital, and rearranged public spaces to allow social distancing. We’ve also implemented enhanced cleaning and disinfecting practices across all patient care areas including a UV disinfecting system.
Finally, more than 95% of our employees and care providers have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and many more are completing their vaccine series.
Maui Memorial Medical Center is a 219-bed acute care hospital that provides comprehensive medical care for our island’s residents and visitors. At the time of this writing, we are caring for two COVID-positive individuals, and even at the peak of the COVID-19 surge on Maui, the majority of our patients did not have COVID-19.
As the only comprehensive medical center in Maui County offering comprehensive emergency, trauma, heart, brain, vascular care, including spine surgery and other advanced medical procedures, Maui Memorial Medical Center is always prepared to operate at a high capacity to ensure we have the resources and staff to take care of you and your loved ones. We encourage you to continue to seek care for any health issues or questions you may have and don’t delay care because of COVID-19.
Wade Ebersole
COO, Maui Health