Last Updated on October 14, 2022 by Logansport Memorial Hospital
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently issued new guidance for healthcare facilities across the country about masking requirements for COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Logansport Memorial has consistently followed the CDC’s guidance and recommendations on how to keep our patients safe while in our care. With this new guidance, we are updating our mask policy and requirements to align with the CDC’s most current recommendations.
Community transmission is the measure that will be monitored by the CDC and that will determine if masks are required or not at Logansport Memorial Hospital. Community transmission describes the amount of COVID-19 spread within a county. It illustrates how many people are positive in the community, by noting the number of new positive cases reported in the county over the last seven days.
The CDC’s community transmission map will be updated every week, by Thursdays at 8 pm EST. This update will inform and decide whether or not masks are required at Logansport Memorial Hospital effective the very next day (Friday) of each week.
- If the community transmission rate is low, moderate, or substantial: no masks are required.
- If the community transmission rate is high, masks are required for everyone (patients, visitors, and staff)
The CDC’s community transmission map to be updated weekly can be found here:
https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#county-view
Be sure to choose “Community Transmission” in the Data Type drop-down box, then click on the state of Indiana, and then find and click on Cass County.
Please be aware that patients and visitors may still be asked to wear a mask if you are symptomatic, even during times of low, substantial, or moderate transmission. All visitors to patients should be healthy, with no symptoms of respiratory illness.
There is no change in pre-surgical testing for COVID at this time. If a patient is scheduled for surgery, he or she will still be required to receive a COVID test in your provider’s office ahead of the surgery date.
“It is always our goal to keep our staff and the patients we treat safe and healthy while in our facility or receiving care from us,” comments Perry Gay, President and CEO of Logansport Memorial Hospital. “Monitoring the spread of COVID-19 through the Community Transmission rate is another way to continue doing that, by putting protections in place – like wearing masks – as early as possible to prevent the spread of illness.”
He went on to say, “COVID has been a long journey for everyone. We have wanted to find our way back to a pre-pandemic version of normalcy, much like many of the people for whom we provide care. But we have diligently followed the CDC’s recommendations throughout the course of the pandemic. As a regional healthcare provider for communities across north central Indiana, it’s our responsibility to the patients and families that we serve to continue doing that now. This new guidance allows us all to take steps in the direction of pre-pandemic normalcy, while still maintaining the safety and health of our patients and staff.
“COVID-19 is not the only respiratory illness that we are monitoring at this time,” says Tara McVay, Chief Nursing Officer for Logansport Memorial. “We are seeing unusually high rates of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and influenza (Flu) already this year, which is early. Visitor restrictions are typically put in place during flu season to also help prevent the spread of illness at that time. As we monitor these rates with the community transmission rate of COVID-19 going into winter, we anticipate that we may begin visitor restrictions earlier than normal. Please know this is another step and another measure we take to protect our staff and patients.”
Please be understanding and flexible in following this new mask policy, based on the most current guidance from the CDC. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Vicki Byrd, Vice-President of Planning and Development at (574) 753-1414 or by email at vbyrd@logansportmemorial.org.
Other helpful CDC resources on COVID to reference or remember:
• https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/covid-by-county.html
• https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/prevention.html
• https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.html
SOURCE: News release from Logansport Memorial Hospital