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Healthcare Mask Requirements

The COVID-19 pandemic is not over. 

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Mask requirements in healthcare are a life or death issue for many people with chronic conditions, disabilities, and anyone in the general public because we are all susceptible to new medical issues and crises at any time.

  • Healthcare-setting-acquired COVID infections are not uncommon.

  • The threat of COVID complications and Long COVID remains serious even for vaccinated individuals.

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As a community, we must do everything we can to fight for the continuation or reinstatement of mask requirements in clinical care, our lives depend on it.

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COVID Safe Campus is tracking mask requirements in student health centers, academic medical centers, and universities affiliated hospitals, medical systems, and clinical partners across the United States.

We call upon institutions and hospitals to implement more equitable and science-based COVID policies including mask requirements in all clinical settings, to protect community health.

ACTIONS TO TAKE:

  • Contact your local hospitals and medical systems and urge them to keep or reinstate their mask mandate.

  • Contact state and local officials in to urge them to reinstate masks in medical settings​

  • Tweet us at @COVIDSafeCampus with any other action alerts to add to the site

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COVID SAFE CAMPUS' ACTIONS:

  • Johns Hopkins Medicine ended universal mask requirements on April 24 – we took action and our advocacy continues. Read about our action here.

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RESOURCES FOR TAKING ACTION

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Vermont:

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Maryland: ​​

  • Use COVID Safe Maryland's Keep Masks in Healthcare MD Toolkit: Link

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California, Oregon, and Washington:

Use the West Coast COVID Safety Alliance linktree to find ways to take action in all 3 states: linktr.ee/westcoastcovidaction

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California:

  • Use Senior and Disability Action's Keep Masks In Healthcare CA Toolkit: Link

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New York:

  • Use the Keep Masks In Healthcare Toolkit by Mandate Masks New York:  Link  

  • Send a letter to New York State government officials via Action Network: Link

  • Check out Mandate Masks New York's Guide to Healthcare Settings Requiring Masks: Link

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Massachusetts:

  • Urge MA to keep their mask requirement in place by signing Massachusetts Coalition for Health Equity's open letter at: Link

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Tweet with the hashtag: #KeepMasksInHealthCare

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Tweet us at @COVIDSafeCampus with any other actions and resources to add to the list.

Mask requirements in healthcare settings are critical in protecting the most vulnerable in our communities and ensuring people seeking medical care don't acquire the devastating risks of COVID infection when seeking help.

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We call upon institutions and hospitals to implement more equitable and science-based COVID policies including mask requirements in all clinical settings, to protect community health.

 

Note:

The COVID Safe Campus Healthcare Mask Policy project is an extension of our Higher Education Policy Tracker. 

We reviewed institutions included in, or affiliated with institutions in the U.S. News Top 50 Best National Universities and Top 50 Best Public Health Schools, the Ivy League, and the Big 10.

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Illustration of an N95 mask, rapid antigen tests, a vaccine syringe, and a computer

Current Clinical Mask Policy Tracking Team:

  • Eiryn Griest Schwartzman - team lead, conceptualization, data collection, analysis, design

  • M.H. - conceptualization, data collection, analysis, design (2023-present)

  • Hazel Anderson - conceptualization, data collection, analysis, (2022-present)

  • Kaitlin E. Sundling - data collection, analysis (2023-present)

  • Claire Wang - data collection, analysis, (2023-present)

  • Sara Simon - data collection (2022-present)

  • Tenley Nordstrom - data collection (2023-present)

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