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HCA Virginia announced April 1 that all staff and providers in all patient care areas will now wear masks, expanding their use beyond suspected or positive COVID-19 cases.
The initiative is designed to increase the protection of staff, healthcare providers, patients, and others in the company’s hospitals. In Henrico, HCA operates Henrico Doctors’ Hospital and Parham Doctors’ Hospital.
Masks will be optional only for staffers in non-patient care areas who can consistently maintain social distancing of at least six feet during brief interactions with colleagues.
All visitors and patients presenting for outpatient testing also will be required to wear masks.
“Our top priority is protecting our patients, clinicians, nurses, and colleagues so we can best serve our communities throughout this pandemic,” said HCA Healthcare Capital Division Chief Nursing Executive Jan Gannon. “We are taking this step now because of evidence that social distancing, while a key strategy for interrupting the spread of coronavirus, is difficult to maintain in the busy patient care environment.”
