There has been a massive uptick in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations over the last two weeks. If the trend continues, it could be devastating for our communities and overall health system. We are urging the public to recommit to social distancing and masking. This is essential to protect health care access and our health care workers. WSHA is taking this action in partnership with the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) and Governor Inslee, and we ask you to join us.
We can all save lives, protect our health care workers, and ensure health care services remain open and available to meet all the health care needs with a few simple actions:
- Elevate the voices of health care workers reinforcing these messages. Nurses and physicians are trusted voices and experts, especially when it comes to COVID. Identifying opportunities for your clinical leaders to be heard by your community will help strengthen this message. ER directors, infectious disease doctors, nurse leaders and direct care staff are all great voices.
- Amplify the DOH’s Safe Gatherings Campaign. Thanksgiving is a huge area for concern. DOH recently launched a campaign providing guidance on how to safety gather during the upcoming holidays, including creative ideas for socially distanced alternatives. The campaign’s partner toolkit is also online.
- Share resources. In conjunction with public health, WSHA has gathered resources for you to share with your community. We ask that you elevate these frequently, beginning this week and running through the holidays, including in social media and websites, direct community messages and with your local media.
Thank you for your engagement! Please share your efforts with WSHA so we can amplify the voices of hospitals through our communications channels. Please feel free to reach out to me at Bethz@wsha.org or (206) 577-1807 with any questions or concerns.
