In response to feedback from patients and community members, Kaweah Delta is limiting the number of visitors a patient can have with them in the Emergency Department (ED).

Patients can now choose two visitors to accompany them while they are in the ED waiting area and one of those visitors should accompany them while they are in the ED. All other visitors are being asked to wait in the Medical Center’s nearby waiting areas.

The change will help ensure that the waiting area can accommodate patients seeking emergency care during cold and flu season and as Kaweah Delta rounds out construction to double the size of its ED and waiting area. This project is expected to be completed late this year.

“We know families are concerned about their loved ones but during this time of ED expansion, we need to prioritize our seating and care spaces for patients first,” said Dr. Sakona Seng, medical director of Kaweah Delta’s Emergency Department. “Lowering congestion will allow for more efficient processes, a less chaotic environment, and subsequently higher quality care."

After patients go through the ED registration process and the triage nurse takes their vitals, they enter a new Physician-at-Triage area. There, medical providers examine patients and order any labs, x-rays, or other tests a patient may need. Patients stay there for lab draws before heading back out to the ED waiting area until the team has the results to determine the next course of care.