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Introduction to our ASL Interpreter Services at Lowell General Hospital
Welcome to Tufts Medicine Lowell General Hospital!
Whether you are coming as a patient, or to visit a friend or family member, we hope your visit will be as comfortable and pleasant as possible.
Mask Guidelines
Tufts Medicine Lowell General Hospital will shift from a mandatory to optional masking policy at all facilities across our health system effective Friday, May 12, 2023.
This decision is aligned with our statewide clinical community and guidance issued by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Tufts Medicine Lowell General Hospital has made changes to our policies and practices firmly based on science and the recommendations of our infectious disease experts. The safety and wellbeing of our patients, visitors and our staff remain our top priority.
Tufts Medicine Lowell General Hospital will respect the decision of individuals who will feel more comfortable wearing a mask.
Data show that "one-way masking" is an effective way to help avoid contracting COVID-19. We also recognize that vaccines and natural immunity have lessened the severity of COVID-19 for many, and that transmission events within healthcare settings have been rare.
Tufts Medicine Lowell General Hospital has demonstrated an exceptional level of care, compassion and respect throughout the pandemic, and we know that will continue as we move forward.
Thank you for entrusting us with your care.
Frequently Asked Questions about Mask Guidelines:
- Patients with respiratory symptoms should wear a hospital-issued mask while in waiting rooms and hallways.
- Patients and visitors who have had a known close contact exposure to COVID-19 within the previous 10 days should wear a mask.
Vaccines, immunity from infection, and highly effective therapies have made COVID-19 similar to other respiratory viruses, for which universal masking has never been mandated. At Tufts Medicine, all staff, patients, and visitors are welcome to wear a mask or N95 if they prefer to do so.
Tufts Medicine Lowell General Hospital is now a mask-optional environment. Those who do not have symptoms of a respiratory illness but choose to wear a mask are welcome to do so.
“One-way masking” (wearing a high-quality, well-fitted mask) is protective, so patients should feel safe wearing a mask even if healthcare workers do not.
In the past, we required that visitors either change into our facility’s masks or place ours over their own. Now that we no longer require masks, patients and visitors may freely wear their own N95s or masks. Patients who have respiratory illness symptoms must wear a hospital-issued mask if tolerated when in a waiting room or hallway, and if they wish to wear their own, must place our hospital-issued mask over theirs so we can be sure their source control protection meets a minimum standard. Visitors to patients with communicable diseases must wear hospital-issued personal protective equipment according to posted precautions signage.
It is entirely possible that mask mandates could come back in one of the following ways:
- a return to a statewide healthcare mask mandate in response to COVID-19 or other respiratory virus infection data;
- a regional or local mask mandate in response to a rise in cases locally;
- a unit-level mask mandate imposed by our Infection Prevention team in response to an outbreak of COVID-19 or another respiratory illness.
Patients & Visitors Code of Conduct
Tufts Medicine is committed to ensuring an inclusive workplace and providing frictionless, equitable care experiences. This means nurturing a culture of inclusion and maintaining a safe and respectful environment for patients, visitors, and care team members. Disruptive conduct that is offensive, abusive, violent, threatening, or discriminatory will not be tolerated.
Examples of such conduct include, but are not limited to:
- Racist, sexist, or derogatory comments or slurs
- Acts of aggression, including threats
- Possession of weapons or firearms
- Disruption of other patients’ care or experience
- Unauthorized videography, voice recordings, or photography of patients, visitors, or care team members.
Violations of this code of conduct may result in:
- Visitors may be asked to leave the premises, and future visits may be restricted.
- Stabilized patients may be asked to leave and receive non-emergency care elsewhere.
- Violent behavior or criminal activity may be reported to campus or local police.
Everyone using or visiting our facilities is expected to abide by these principles. If you witness or are the target of any of these behaviors, please report it to a care team member.
Don’t Delay Care
We urge you and your family members to pay attention to the warning signs and symptoms of severe illness. Heart attack, stroke, severe infections, and other critical illnesses can only worsen or have life-threatening consequences if you or a loved one tries to wait it out at home. Please call 9-1-1 or visit your closest emergency department for serious symptoms including chest pain, high fever, trouble breathing, or dizziness. If you have non-urgent concerns, call your primary care physician or visit one of our Circle Health Urgent Care locations that are open 8:00am-8:00pm 7 days a week. Our physicians have added video and telephone appointment options in addition to in-office visits.