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.
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Healthcare-setting-acquired COVID infections are not uncommon.
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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.
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Our 2024 Healthcare Mask Policy Tracking is underway, below is the 2023 edition.
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:
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Contact your local hospitals and medical systems and urge them to keep or reinstate their mask mandate.
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Contact state and local officials in to urge them to reinstate masks in medical settings​
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Tweet us at @COVIDSafeCampus with any other action alerts to add to the site
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RESOURCES FOR TAKING ACTION
Organizing Toolkit to Keep Masks in Healthcare: bit.ly/MaskWeekOfAction
Created by COVID Safe Campus and COVID Advocacy Initiative, with the support of advocates from many other organizations.
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Location specific:
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California, Oregon, and Washington:
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West Coast COVID Safety Alliance: linktr.ee/westcoastcovidaction
California:
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Senior and Disability Action's Keep Masks In Healthcare CA Toolkit: Link
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Maryland: ​​
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COVID Safe Maryland's Keep Masks in Healthcare MD Toolkit: Link
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New York:
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Keep Masks In Healthcare Toolkit by Mandate Masks New York: Link
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Send a letter to New York State government officials via Action Network: Link
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Mandate Masks New York's Guide to Healthcare Settings Requiring Masks: Link
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Vermont:
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DisabilityJusticeVT's Keep Masks In Healthcare VT Toolkit: tinyurl.com/yckrhvuc
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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.
COVID SAFE CAMPUS ACTIONS:​
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Co-led the Week of Action to Keep Masks in Healthcare - May 15-21, 2023
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Co-organized Keep Masks at Hopkins Medicine action.
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Johns Hopkins Medicine ended universal mask requirements on April 24 – we took action and our advocacy continues. Read about our action in the Baltimore Sun.
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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.
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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 in February, March, and April 2023. The information on the following spreadsheet is recent as of the entry date beside the institution.
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Current Clinical Mask Policy Tracking Team:
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Eiryn Griest Schwartzman - team lead, conceptualization, data collection, analysis, design
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M.H. - conceptualization, data collection, analysis, design (2023-present)
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Hazel Anderson - conceptualization, data collection, analysis, (2022-present)
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Kaitlin E. Sundling - data collection, analysis (2023-present)
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Claire Wang - data collection, analysis, (2023-present)
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Sara Simon - data collection (2022-present)
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Tenley Nordstrom - data collection (2023-present)