Mount Nittany Health, Geisinger now requiring patients, visitors to wear masks inside facilities
Following the lead of Geisinger, Mount Nittany Health announced Wednesday that all patients and visitors to the medical center will now be required to wear masks inside the facility.
Patients and visitors to Mount Nittany Medical Center are asked to bring their own masks but, if needed, masks will be provided before entering the facility.
The announcement comes five days after Gov. Tom Wolf urged the public to wear masks when venturing outside the home. Geisinger announced shortly after that, also on Friday, that everyone inside their facilities — including patients and visitors — must wear masks at all times.
“As the coronavirus situation evolves, we continuously reassess our policies and procedures to protect our Geisinger family, patients and communities,” said Dr. J. Edward Hartle, Geisinger Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, in a written statement.
Mount Nittany also announced Tuesday, in a separate news release, that it is asking for donations of personal protective equipment, supplies and food.
Among the PPE it can accept include:
- Powered air-purifying respirators and filters
- N95 masks in unopened containers
- Surgical masks/procedural masks in unopened packaging
- Tyvek suits
Other items the hospital could use are Clorox/Lysol cleaning wipes, hydrogen peroxide or bleach cleaning wipes, and 7-mil clear acetate sheets (9x12). Those interested in giving or donating can visit foundation.mountnittany.org and fill out an electronic form.
Community members are urged not to drop off donations on their own.
“We are deeply moved by the outpouring of support from our community,” Mount Nittany Health President and CEO Kathleen Rhine said in a written statement. “Part of what makes our community so special is the way we care for each other in times of crisis and this has been displayed over and over again during this pandemic.”
Centre County gained two new cases Wednesday of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, increasing the total number of cases in the county to 57, according to the state Department of Health.
Locally, every county surrounding Centre County now has at least several confirmed cases of the coronavirus — Clinton County saw its first case Friday — and every one of the state’s 67 counties now has at least one confirmed case.
