Sentara Healthcare joins top U.S. hospitals in national #MaskUp campaign

More than 100 of the nation's top health systems, including Sentara Healthcare, have joined forces to encourage Americans to stop the spread of COVID-19 by following proven safety guidelines. The national #MaskUp campaign is critical to the health and well-being of all Americans. It is a plea from healthcare professionals everywhere: wear a mask and follow other precautions to save lives and help get our country back on its feet.

The campaign includes a series of public service messages from healthcare professionals across the country. One of the public service video messages makes the voices of those caring for our patients clear:

“You've called us heroes. But heroes don't deserve this. We've fought hard to protect our communities. Month after month. Our shields are worn. Our resolve is being tested. Yet we press on. Because we truly want to see this pandemic end. We put our lives on the line daily to keep you safe. So, do something for us. Wear. A. Mask.”

Click HERE to watch the PSA videos

As some of the most trusted hospitals in the nation, we know that continuing to take precautionary measures is tough. Here's what we also know: The science has not changed. Masks slow the spread of COVID-19. Diligently washing our hands stops its transmission. And staying 6 feet apart from those we don't live with makes it harder for the disease to spread too.

The number of positive cases, hospitalizations, and deaths is increasing rapidly. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 15 million people have tested positive for COVID-19 resulting in nearly 300,000 deaths as of Dec. 7, 2020.

If current trends continue, hospital leaders are increasingly concerned healthcare facilities will be overwhelmed as shortages of healthy caregivers make it difficult to handle a rapidly increasing number of patients. Unfortunately, this is already happening in parts of our country.

The CDC points to recent studies that have shown facemasks successfully limit the spread of the COVID-19 virus, protecting those who wear them as well as those nearby. In addition to masking, the CDC suggests that everyone minimize the number of non-household contacts, maintain a physical distance of at least six feet, and limit the amount of time around others, especially while indoors and in poorly ventilated areas.

The next several months will be critical. Though there's been positive news about vaccine development, widespread distribution is months away. Everyone must remain vigilant, take precautions, and follow public health orders. The country has reached a tipping point. The power to do what is right is in the hands of everyone everywhere.

This public service message has run in The New York Times, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post and The Los Angeles Times. Hospitals and health systems across the country will continue to unite to share these messages regionally.

The message reads:

“As the top nationally-ranked hospitals, we know it's tough that we all need to do our part and keep wearing masks. But, here's what we also know: The science has not changed. Masks slow the spread of COVID-19. So, please join us as we all embrace this simple ask: Wear. Care. Share with #MaskUp. Together, wearing is caring. And together, we are saving lives.”

To reach a broader audience, the campaign also includes messages on television, digital platforms, social media, online information, links to vital health resources and more. Regional health systems and hospitals in many communities across the nation are combining resources, demonstrating they are working together to get through this together. 

Here are the 123 health systems representing thousands of hospitals:

• AdventHealth
• Adventist Health
• Advocate Aurora Health
• Allegheny Health Network
• Atlantic Health System
• Atrium Health
• Avera Health
• Banner Health
• Baptist Health Northeast Florida
• Baylor Scott & White Health
• Baystate Health
• Beebe Healthcare
• BJC HealthCare
• Bon Secours Mercy Health
• Boston Children's Hospital
• Cedars-Sinai
• Centura Health
• Children's Hospital Los Angeles
• Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
• Children's Hospital of Orange County
• Children's National Hospital
• ChristianaCare
• Cincinnati Children's Hospital
• City of Hope
• Cleveland Clinic
• CommonSpirit Health
• Community Health Systems
• Cone Health
• Cooper University Health Care
• Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
• Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health
• Duke Health
• Einstein Healthcare Network
• El Camino Health
• Emory Healthcare
• Geisinger
• Hackensack Meridian Health
• HCA Healthcare
• HonorHealth
• Inspira Health
• Intermountain Healthcare
• Jefferson Health
• John Muir Health
• Johns Hopkins Medicine
• Kaiser Permanente
• Keck Medicine of USC
• LifePoint Health
• Lurie Children's
• Main Line Health
• MarinHealth
• Mass General Brigham
• Mayo Clinic
• MedStar Health
• Memorial Health System (Illinois)
• Memorial Hermann
• Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
• MemorialCare (Southern California)
• Mercy
• Michigan Medicine
• Moffitt Cancer Center
• Mount Sinai Health System
• National Jewish Health
• Nationwide Children's Hospital
• Nebraska Medicine
• Nemours Children's Health System
• NewYork-Presbyterian
• Northwell Health
• Northwestern Medicine
• Norton Healthcare
• Ochsner Health
• OhioHealth
• Oregon Health & Science University
• OSF HealthCare
• OU Health
• PeaceHealth
• Penn Medicine
• Penn State Health
• Piedmont Healthcare
• Providence
• Renown Health
• Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
• Rush University System for Health
• RWJ Barnabas Health
• Saint Luke's Health System (Kansas City, MO)
• SCL Health
• Scripps Health
• Sentara Healthcare
• Sharp HealthCare
• Southwestern Health Resources
• Spectrum Health
• SSM Health
• St. Elizabeth Healthcare
• St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
• St. Luke's Hospital (St. Louis)
• Stanford Medicine
• Sutter Health
• Temple Health
• Texas Health Resources
• The Christ Hospital Health Network
• The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
• The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
• ThedaCare
• TriHealth (Cincinnati)
• Trinity Health
• Tufts Medical Center
• UC Davis Health
• UC Health (CINCINNATI)
• UC San Diego Health
• UCHealth
• UChicago Medicine
• UCI Health
• UCLA Health
• UCSF Health
• UNC Health
• University Hospitals (Cleveland)
• University of California Health
• University of Iowa Health Care
• University of Maryland Medical System
• UT Southwestern Medical Center
• Vanderbilt Health
• Virtua Health
• Washington Hospital Healthcare System
• WellSpan Health