Tower Health has updated guidance for the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), including masks, for employees, patients, and visitors. These updates reflect recent changes in recommendations from the CDC and Pennsylvania Department of Health. Per their guidance, masking is still required in healthcare settings.
Current Tower Health masking guidelines include:
- All staff, patients, and visitors must wear a well-fitting face mask, covering mouth and nose, while in any Tower Health facility, except when contraindicated or for patients under two years old.
- Admitted patients are encouraged to wear masks when in their room unless they are clinically unable to do so.
- Masks should be removed while eating and drinking, but staff and patients are asked to observe at least six feet of space from other individuals when unmasked.
- Cloth masks are no longer permitted/recommended. Staff, patients, and visitors should wear a procedure mask when in the healthcare setting.
"We will continue to follow recommendations from the CDC and other health authorities, understanding that those recommendations will change as the course of the pandemic evolves and our understanding of the virus changes," said Debra Powell, MD, Chief, Division of Infectious Diseases and Medical Director, Infection Prevention. "We thank all Tower Health team members, patients, visitors, and community for following the important health and safety guidelines we’ve recommended over the past two years. These policies help protect the health and safety of staff, patients, and visitors in all Tower Health facilities."
Tower Health encourages all eligible individuals to get vaccinated against COVID-19, including a booster dose as appropriate. The vaccine, along with masking/social distancing guidelines, are the best options for discouraging the spread of the virus, and to minimize risk of serious illness, hospitalization, and death.
About Tower Health
Tower Health is a regional integrated healthcare system that offers leading-edge, compassionate healthcare and wellness services to communities in Berks, Chester, Montgomery, and Philadelphia Counties. With nearly 12,000 team members, Tower Health consists of Reading Hospital in West Reading; Chestnut Hill Hospital in Philadelphia; Phoenixville Hospital in Phoenixville; Pottstown Hospital in Pottstown; and St. Christopher's Hospital for Children, a partnership of Tower Health and Drexel University in Philadelphia. It also includes Reading Hospital Rehabilitation at Wyomissing; Reading Hospital School of Health Sciences in West Reading; home healthcare provided by Tower Health at Home; TowerDirect ambulance and emergency response; Tower Health Medical Group; and a network of 25 urgent care facilities across the Tower Health service area. For more information, visit towerhealth.org.