Share this page:
MaskUp Newsroom Banner

El Camino Health Joins Top U.S. Hospitals to Encourage Everyone to #MaskUp

Growing numbers of COVID-19 cases and deaths are troubling; facemasks can slow the trend

Mountain View, CA - November 23, 2020 - 114 of the nation’s top health care systems, representing thousands of hospitals in communities across the U.S., have come together with an urgent plea for all Americans – mask up, because 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. 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 our 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, 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.

Public service messages are running 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.

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, will accomplish this today and will get through this 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 further information about masking guidelines – how to choose a mask, how to properly wear a mask – visit the CDC website.

Skip

About El Camino Health

El Camino Health provides a personalized healthcare experience at two non-profit acute care hospitals in Los Gatos and Mountain View and at primary care, multi-specialty care, and urgent care locations across Santa Clara County. For nearly sixty years, the organization has grown to meet the needs of individuals and communities it serves. Bringing together the best in new technology and advanced medicine, the network of nationally recognized physicians and care teams deliver high-quality, compassionate care. Key medical specialties include heart and vascular, cancer and lifestyle medicine. The hospitals have earned numerous awards for clinical excellence, such as a 5-Star Overall Hospital Quality Rating from Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and nursing care, including three consecutive American Nurses Credentialing Center Magnet Recognitions for Nursing Care. Visit elcaminohealth.org to learn more.

About #MaskUp

www.everymaskup.com is a collaboration of over 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 health care 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. Founded and led by Rhoda Weiss, Ph.D., Los Angeles-based national health care leader and consultant, the expanded coalition is partnering with Cleveland Clinic Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Paul Matsen and his team for this effort. Additionally, hospitals and health systems on a regional basis continue to come together to send messages like these of prevention and safety, hope and healing, life and death, care and caring.

The following hospitals and health systems are helping to spread this message across the country.

AdventHealth

Adventist Health

Allegheny Health Network

Atlantic Health System

Atrium Health

Avera Health

Banner Health

Baptist Health Northeast Florida

Baylor Scott & White Health

Baystate Health

Beebe Healthcare

BJC HealthCare

Bon Secours Mercy Health

Boston Children's Hospital

Cedars-Sinai

Centura Health

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

El Camino Health

Emory Healthcare

Geisinger

Hackensack Meridian Health

HCA Healthcare

HonorHealth

Inspira Health

Intermountain Healthcare

Jefferson Health

John Muir Health

Johns Hopkins Medicine

Kaiser Permanente

Keck Medicine of USC

LifePoint Health

Lurie Children’s

Main Line Health

MarinHealth

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

Piedmont Healthcare

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

Spectrum Health

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 Hospitals (Cleveland)

University of California Health

University of Maryland Medical System

University of Iowa Health Care

Virtua Health

Washington Hospital Healthcare System

WellSpan Health

Media Contacts

Christopher Brown, Director of Communications, El Camino Health
christopher_brown@elcaminohealth.org
650-694-3891

Rhoda Weiss, President & Founder, Rhoda Weiss Consulting Group, Inc.
rhoda@rhodaweiss.com
310-945-6730

Angie Kiska, Senior Director, Enterprise Communications, Cleveland Clinic
kiskaa@ccf.org
216-312-9170