Return of Masking in Patient Care Areas Across Main Line Health

Mainline Health, a conglomerate of four of the South East PA region’s acute care hospitals—Lankenau Medical Center, Bryn Mawr Hospital, Paoli Hospital, and Riddle Hospital—as well as numerous clinics and outpatient services, has announced a masking order to be effective today, January 4th, and to be in place for at least the next two weeks.

Tripledemic?

Mainline Health cites a “significant increase in COVID-19, flu, and RSV cases across the region.” “All patients, employees, medical staff, and visitors will be required to wear masks in clinical and common areas.”

It appears health authorities are sticking to their guns regarding the usefulness of wearing a mask to protect against airborne contagion. Prior to the COVID-19 crisis, masking in hospital and surgical settings was being rolled back with the weight of science showing environmental remediation, i.e., dilution and removal through improved ventilation, to be far superior in lessening the risk of infection than the use of face masks.

Masks, as many of our readers likely know, have never been shown to improve infection outcomes in any statistically measurable way. It may be prudent to request that individuals exhibiting respitorary viral symptoms cover their mouth and nose to provide source control, but it is unclear if this is any better than covering one’s face with the inside of the elbow during the event of a sneeze. Furthermore, it has been established that wearing a face mask heightens stress and reduces empathy and communication, in addition to the physical risks to health that lower oxygen and higher carbon dioxide levels, trapped moisture, and contamination may have, especially over periods that exceed two hours.

This measure by Mainline Health should be seen as a test of resolve of its staff and patients. If there is not significant push back from the health system’s employees one can imagine that this “temporary” policy will be kept in place through the Winter.