Act Now to Keep Healthcare Safe: For Each Other
Tell healthcare system leaders: Keep masks in healthcare
At the People’s CDC, we believe all people have the right to safe, healthy and thriving lives. We believe we all have a duty to center and value the lives of high-risk people, including 4 in 10 US adult residents who have two or more chronic illnesses, making us high-risk for COVID-19, disabled and immunocompromised people, our elders, and infants who cannot wear a mask. High-risk people, and all people, have the right to safe healthcare — free from the risk of contracting COVID and other respiratory infections. In an airborne pandemic, safe medical care for all requires universal masking. Hospital systems which have removed masks are already seeing COVID outbreaks among staff and patients.
Keeping Masks in Healthcare values the lives of high-risk people, and protects us all from the ongoing risks of Long COVID and reinfection.
Join us in writing to hospital system CEOs and Chief Medical Officers (CMO)s nationwide and tell them to put our lives and health above corporate profit margins. Tell them to keep masks in healthcare, and to make masking the new infection control standard. As gloves became the accepted, standard practice as a result of the HIV epidemic, we must keep Masks in Healthcare as Infection Control. This position is also articulated by national leaders in hospital epidemiology who suggest we redefine "universal precautions" to include masking for all patient encounters.
The Boston Globe and Boston.com reported that hospital administrators are lobbying the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to remove masks. The Massachusetts-based group Mandate Masks MA reports learning “that Boston area hospitals have advocated removing infection control measures in healthcare because hospitals are losing money rescheduling outpatient procedures for COVID positive patients.” If this is the case in Massachusetts, it is likely happening nationwide.
If this is true, this means hospital systems which are aiming to eliminate COVID-safety infection control measures, are putting their profit-margins over our lives and safety. This is a threat to our democracy and our well-being.
We must all take action together to keep healthcare care safe. We must do this, for our high risk friends, neighbors, elders, community members, children and ourselves. We must all take action to keep masks in healthcare — for each other.
You may send your own letter, send our suggested text, or edit it, using our form to reach hospital leaders.
