GRH implements mandatory Masks On policy
Contact: Mardi Ford
Effective immediately, Grande Ronde Hospital and Clinics is temporarily mandating a Masks On policy for all employees, patients, and visitors throughout our facilities and locations. Due to the announcement of new community-acquired cases in Union County, we believe it is timely to implement a Masks On policy.
Grande Ronde’s Masks On policy will remain in effect until further notice. Our screeners will ask everyone entering our facilities to wear a mask. We ask that you please be patient with us as we adapt to this change.
Patients and visitors who arrive with a cloth face covering and do not have respiratory symptoms may wear their own mask. A disposable loop mask, or reusable cloth mask if available, will be provided to patients and visitors who do not have one. For those patients presenting with symptoms of COVID-19 or other respiratory illnesses, we will continue to provide the appropriate facemask at screening, as we have been.
While we have been strongly encouraging masking for some time, we have also continued to monitor our community situation for numbers of COVID-19 cases and methods of transmission here in Union County. In addition, we have had to take into consideration our responsibility to ensure a sufficient supply of masking options for employees, patients and visitors under a mandatory masking policy.
We have monitored and actively worked to build our supply of PPE and disposable loop masks. In addition, due to the generosity of our own community, we have already been able to distribute hundreds of donated cloth face coverings to many of our employees and patients. We have been and will continue to be good stewards of these crucial supplies.
As we work our way through Phase Two of Oregon’s reopening plan, we remain diligent in our efforts to best protect our patients and our employees from transmission of the virus. Many of you are already masking and we appreciate that. However, to be successful during this current situation, are asking for our community’s continued support, patience and understanding as we put on our MASK.
###