(Winston Salem, NC) -- Due to a reported suspicious package, Medical Center Boulevard between Queen Street and S. Hawthorne Road will be closed to vehicle and pedestrian traffic until further notice. Temporary evacuation of the MRI Building is underway.
Patient visits and appointments will not be conducted in the MRI Building until police clear the area. Medical Center Boulevard at Queen Street and Hawthorne Road has been closed to traffic and pedestrians.
Visitor Parking Lots A & B are still fully functioning and employees and patients can access those areas. The horseshoe area in front of the Main Entrance is closed. Van and shuttle service will not be dropping off employees or patients in front of North Tower. People will be dropped off at other access points to the Medical Center including the Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Employees or patients who are working or have scheduled visits in the MRI Building are invited to wait in the Ardmore Cafeteria area until service is resumed. Because we do not know how long it will take to clear the area, some patients may need to reschedule early morning appointments.
The Winton-Salem Police Department, Winston-Salem Fire Department, and Baptist Hospital Security personnel are on scene and investigating the incident.
UPDATE: Winston-Salem Police have given the "all-clear" to resume routine operations at the MRI building at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center after some streets were closed and a building evacuated earlier this morning. The building was evacuated and patient visits cancelled after a suspicious package appeared at the front entrance of the MRI building that required police investigation. The package was examined and determined to not be a threat. Patient appointments in the MRI building will resume at 9 a.m. today. It is expected Medical Center Boulevard will be opened for routine traffic very shortly and van service for patients and employees will resume its normal shuttle schedule by 9 a.m.