During the COVID-19 pandemic, Pella Regional Health Center patients over the age of two are encouraged to wear a fabric mask or homemade face covering to any medical appointment. If patients do not have face coverings or fabric masks, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides simple instructions on their website at www.cdc.gov/coronavirus to make a homemade face covering.

Guidance from the CDC encourages the public to wear face coverings in places like clinics and hospitals, where it’s not always practical to maintain six feet of separation between individuals.

The CDC provides instructions for how to wear a cloth face covering:
-fit snugly but comfortably against the side of the face
-be secured with ties or ear loops
-include multiple layers of fabric
-allow for breathing without restriction
-be able to be laundered and machine dried without damage or change to shape

Pella Regional has taken many measures to lower the risk of exposure to COVID-19 at the hospital and clinics. All patients and staff are screened before entering the building. Patients with infectious symptoms are directed to the Patient Assessment Center which is located in a separate building away from the hospital and Pella Medical Clinic. Staff members with direct patient care interaction are behind a Plexiglas shield or wearing the recommended personal protective equipment. All these measures are in place to lower the risk of exposure while continuing to provide needed medical services to patients.