Growing numbers of COVID-19 cases and deaths are troubling; PeaceHeath officials say facemasks can slow the trend
PeaceHealth has joined 100 of the nation’s top healthcare systems, representing thousands of hospitals in communities across the U.S., for an urgent plea for all Americans to mask up, because PeaceHealth officials believe wearing a facemask is our best chance at slowing the surging COVID-19 pandemic now.
More than 11.5 million Americans have tested positive for the virus – including an additional one million in just the past week – leading to nearly 250,000 deaths.
The current trends are daunting and frightening to most citizens. If the nation stays on its current course, hospital leaders are increasingly concerned that more healthcare facilities will be overwhelmed as shortages of healthy caregivers make it difficult to handle a rapidly increasing number of patients. Unfortunately, this is already happening in parts of the country.
The next several months will be critical. Though there has been positive news about vaccine development, no one knows when those vaccines will be ready for widespread use. In the meantime, PeaceHealth officials believe everyone must remain vigilant, take precautions and follow public health orders.
“The country has reached a tipping point. The power to do what is right is now in the hands of everyone everywhere,’’ read a news release from PeaceHealth.
Beginning Friday, a public service message was circulated in The New York Times, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post and The Los Angeles Times. Additionally, hospitals and health systems across the country will continue to unite to share these messages regionally.
The message reads:
“As the top nationally-ranked hospitals, we know it’s tough that we all need to do our part and keep wearing masks. But, here’s what we also know: The science has not changed. Masks slow the spread of COVID-19. So, please join us as we all embrace this simple ask: Wear. Care. Share with #MaskUp. Together, wearing is caring. And together, we are saving lives.”
In an effort to reach a broader audience, the public service effort will also include messages on digital platforms, social media, online information, links to vital health resources and more. Combining resources demonstrates that these health organizations are working together.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention points to recent studies that have shown facemasks successfully limit spread of the COVID-19 virus. Wearing facemasks protect in key ways: by protecting the wearer against inhalation of harmful pathogens and particulates and by preventing exposure of those around the wearer.
In addition to masking, the CDC suggests that everyone minimize the number of non-household contacts, maintain a physical distance of at least six feet, and limit the amount of time around others, especially while indoors and in poorly ventilated areas. For more masking information, visit peacehealth.org/wear-mask.
About PeaceHealth: PeaceHealth, based in Vancouver, is a not-for-profit Catholic health system offering care to communities in Washington, Oregon and Alaska. PeaceHealth has approximately 16,000 caregivers, a group practice with more than 900 providers and 10 medical centers serving both urban and rural communities throughout the Northwest. In 1890, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace founded what has become PeaceHealth. The Sisters shared expertise and transferred wisdom from one medical center to another, always finding the best way to serve the unmet need for healthcare in their communities. Today, PeaceHealth is the legacy of the founding Sisters and continues with a spirit of respect, stewardship, collaboration and social justice in fulfilling its Mission.
About the Mask Up coalition: everymaskup.com is a collaboration of 100 leading health systems representing thousands of hospitals across the U.S. joining together to create messages for the betterment of communities they serve. The impetus for this, and other public service campaigns to follow, came from a group of healthcare marketing and communications executives meeting for a decade and reengaged weekly since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The goal is to share knowledge and experience, best practices, strategies and resources- knowing they can accomplish more together.
The following hospitals and health systems are helping to spread this message across the country.
AdventHealth
Adventist Health
Allegheny Health Network
Atrium Health
Avera Health
Banner Health
Baptist Health Northeast Florida
Baylor Scott & White Health
Baystate Health
BJC HealthCare
Bon Secours Mercy Health
Boston Children’s Hospital
Cedars-Sinai
Children’s Hospital Los Angeles
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Children’s Hospital of Orange County
Children’s National Hospital
ChristianaCare
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
City of Hope
Cleveland Clinic
CommonSpirit Health
Community Health Systems
Cooper University Health Care
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health
Duke Health
Emory Healthcare
Geisinger
Hackensack Meridian Health
HCA Healthcare
Inspira Health
Intermountain Healthcare
Jefferson Health
Johns Hopkins Medicine
Kaiser Permanente
Keck Medicine of USC
LifePoint Health
Mass General Brigham
Mayo Clinic
MedStar Health
Memorial Hermann
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
MemorialCare (Southern California)
Mercy
Michigan Medicine
Mount Sinai Health System
National Jewish Health
Nationwide Children’s Hospital
Nebraska Medicine
Nemours Children’s Health System
NewYork-Presbyterian
Northwell Health
Northwestern Medicine
Norton Healthcare
Ochsner Health
OhioHealth
Oregon Health & Science University
OSF HealthCare
OU Health
PeaceHealth
Penn Medicine
Penn State Health
Providence
Renown Health
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
Rush University System for Health
RWJ Barnabas Health
Saint Luke’s Health System (Kansas City, MO)
SCL Health
Scripps Health
Sharp HealthCare
Southwestern Health Resources
SSM Health
St. Elizabeth Healthcare
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
St. Luke’s Hospital (St. Louis)
Stanford Health Care
Sutter Health
Temple Health
Texas Health Resources
The Christ Hospital Health Network
The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
ThedaCare
TriHealth (Cincinnati)
Trinity Health
UC Davis Health
UCHealth
UC Health CINCINNATI
UC San Diego Health
UChicago Medicine
UCI Health
UCLA Health
UCSF Health
UNC Health
University of California Health
University Hospitals (Cleveland)
University of Iowa Health Care
Virtua Health
