UPMC reinstating mask policy

BUT IN A MEDICAL SETTING, THEY UNDERSTAND IN A FEW DAYS, IF YOU GO TO A UPMC FACILITY, YOU HAVE TO WEAR A MASK. DOCTORS SAY RESPIRATORY ILLNESSES ARE RISING. WE DEFINITELY NEED TO REINSTATE THAT. A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE SO MANY PRIOR ILLNESSES AND MY SON JUST HAD COVID. I JUST THINK THAT THAT’S THE RIGHT THING TO DO, ESPECIALLY IF YOU’RE WORKING IN A FACILITY. I THINK YOU SHOULD 100% HAVE A MASK ON UPMC SAYS THEY’RE TRYING TO KEEP PEOPLE HEALTHY BECAUSE THEY’RE SEEING MORE CASES OF THE FLU. COVID AND RSV. AND WE BELIEVE THAT JOB NUMBER ONE IS TO KEEP YOU SAFE WHILE WE’RE DELIVERING CARE. AND SINCE THE AMOUNT OF ACTIVITY THAT WE’RE SEEING WITH THOSE THREE VIRUSES TOGETHER HAS. REACHED A CERTAIN POINT, THE BEST WAY TO KEEP EVERYBODY SAFE NO MATTER WHO IT IS RECEIVING CARE OR GIVING CARE, IS THAT REINSTATE THE MASK MORE WIDELY. THE HEALTH CARE SYSTEM SAYS THEY WILL CHECK THE NUMBER OF CASES OF ILLNESSES IN THE AREA AND DECIDE WHEN THE POLICY WILL BE LIFTED. I DON’T WANT TO SHOP WITH A MASK ON OR, YOU KNOW, BE IN PUBLIC OR. BUT IN THAT SENSE, YEAH, YEAH. I MEAN, YOU’RE IN A HOSPITAL, SO I THINK IT’S A GREAT IDEA. I THINK YOU’RE IN A HOSPITAL AND PEOPLE ARE VULNERABLE. AND SICK, AND THERE’S NO REASON WHY WE CAN’T WEAR A MASK. WE DID IT FOR TWO YEARS. I THINK. SO HOW DID UPMC DECIDE? WE USE THE INFORMATION THAT IS AVAILABLE TO US IN THE COMMUNITIES THAT WE SERVE, AND THAT DROVE OUR DECISION MAKING. WE’RE AWARE OF NOT ONLY WHAT THE STATE, BUT WHAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT RECOMMENDS. WE KNOW THE SCIENTIFIC DATA BEHIND WHAT HELPS PREVENT INFECTION, AND WE PUT THOSE ALL TOGETHER. AND WE USED OUR LOCAL DATA AND OUR EXPERTS. THESE ALLEGHENY HEALTH NETWORK SAYS IT’S NOT REQUIRING FACE MASKS. THEY SENT US A STATEMENT SAYING IN PART, ACCORDING TO CDC DATA AND OUR OWN INTERNAL TRACKING, THE NUMBER OF EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT VISITS AND HOSPITALIZATIONS RELATED TO COVID 19 AND FLU REMAIN LOW ACROSS PENS FOOTPRINT. NOW, THIS POLICY GOES INTO EFFECT ON DECEMBER 20TH.

UPMC reinstating mask policy

Updated: 10:34 PM EST Dec 15, 2023

Masks will once again be required at UPMC health facilities, starting Dec. 20.UPMC says they are putting the requirement back in place due to a rise in respiratory viruses, including COVID-19, the flu and RSV.”We believe that job number one is to keep you safe while we’re delivering care, and since the amount of activity that we’re seeing with those three viruses together has reached a certain point, the best way to keep everybody safe no matter who it is — receiving care or giving care — is that reinstate the mask more widely,” UPMC chief medical officer and senior vice president Dr. Donald Yealy said.It’s unclear how long the requirement will be in place.UPMC says they will monitor cases and adjust protocols as the situation evolves.”We use the information that is available to us in the communities that we serve, and that drove our decision-making,” Yealy said. “We’re aware of not only what the state but what the federal government recommends, we know the scientific data behind what helps prevent infection, and we put those all together, and we used our local data and our expertise.””I just think that that’s the right thing to do, especially if you are working in a facility, I think you should 100% have a mask on,” said Jemma Adams, of Monroeville.”I think it’s a great idea,” said Karen Cozuch, of Monroeville. “You’re in a hospital, and people are vulnerable and sick, and there’s no reason we can’t wear a mask. We did it for two years, I think.””I don’t want to shop with a mask on or be in public, but in that sense, yeah. I mean, you’re in a hospital,” said Dan Findley, of Monroeville.In a statement, Allegheny Health Network said, “According to CDC data and our own internal tracking, the numbers of emergency department visits and hospitalizations related to COVID-19 and flu remain low across AHN’s footprint. While we will continue to take appropriate precautions at our hospitals and outpatient facilities when caring for patients with respiratory illness, including mask wearing among patients and staff, AHN is not implementing a broad masking requirement at this time. We will continue to monitor the situation to determine if and when a network-wide masking mandate is required.”

PITTSBURGH —

Masks will once again be required at UPMC health facilities, starting Dec. 20.

UPMC says they are putting the requirement back in place due to a rise in respiratory viruses, including COVID-19, the flu and RSV.

“We believe that job number one is to keep you safe while we’re delivering care, and since the amount of activity that we’re seeing with those three viruses together has reached a certain point, the best way to keep everybody safe no matter who it is — receiving care or giving care — is that reinstate the mask more widely,” UPMC chief medical officer and senior vice president Dr. Donald Yealy said.

It’s unclear how long the requirement will be in place.

UPMC says they will monitor cases and adjust protocols as the situation evolves.

“We use the information that is available to us in the communities that we serve, and that drove our decision-making,” Yealy said. “We’re aware of not only what the state but what the federal government recommends, we know the scientific data behind what helps prevent infection, and we put those all together, and we used our local data and our expertise.”

“I just think that that’s the right thing to do, especially if you are working in a facility, I think you should 100% have a mask on,” said Jemma Adams, of Monroeville.

“I think it’s a great idea,” said Karen Cozuch, of Monroeville. “You’re in a hospital, and people are vulnerable and sick, and there’s no reason we can’t wear a mask. We did it for two years, I think.”

“I don’t want to shop with a mask on or be in public, but in that sense, yeah. I mean, you’re in a hospital,” said Dan Findley, of Monroeville.

In a statement, Allegheny Health Network said, “According to CDC data and our own internal tracking, the numbers of emergency department visits and hospitalizations related to COVID-19 and flu remain low across AHN’s footprint. While we will continue to take appropriate precautions at our hospitals and outpatient facilities when caring for patients with respiratory illness, including mask wearing among patients and staff, AHN is not implementing a broad masking requirement at this time. We will continue to monitor the situation to determine if and when a network-wide masking mandate is required.”

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