FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Community Means Unity: Stop the Spread of COVID Through Immunity
NAPLES, Fla. – August 6, 2021 NCH is proud to once again be partnering with the City of Naples on an educational initiative promoting “CommUNITY ImmUNITY” by strongly encouraging our citizens to get vaccinated. Just like the past “All Heroes Wear Masks” public service announcement campaigns that sought to keep us safe in the days before we had a vaccine, this new initiative carries a similar message of safety by encouraging our community to get vaccinated.
There will be public service announcements, educational advertisements, posters, flyers and online resources available at NaplesInUnity.com. Free masks will also continue to be provided as part of this initiative to keep our community safe for those businesses, organizations and individuals who would like them.
NCH Healthcare System has listened to our physician and clinical leaders and has watched the data in our community healthcare system, and the facts are clear: the vaccine is effective and dramatically reduces the symptoms of COVID. Approximately 90 percent of inpatients at NCH Healthcare System are currently unvaccinated, and nearly 100 percent of ICU patients are unvaccinated.
This is an unvaccinated pandemic.
We are committed to transparency and sharing the data and facts we have with our community. We all know the safety protocols that helped us stop the spread of COVID last year. However, this is not the same virus. The new variants are much more transmittable and at least 5x more contagious than previous COVID variants. We are seeing younger people with more severe symptoms requiring hospitalization.
“We must do what is right for the community, our staff, and our patients. We stand committed to providing as much factual information to the public as possible and encourage those who still have questions to reach out to their primary care physicians,” said CEO Paul Hiltz. “We urge our community to take this seriously and help us slow the spread of this pandemic among the unvaccinated.”
As part of our pledge to keep the community we serve as safe as possible, NCH enacted its surge plan last week, rolled out visitor restrictions and canceled in-person meetings at our
facilities for the rest of the month. We have joined a growing list of hospitals and healthcare systems around the nation in requiring our staff to be fully vaccinated by September 16th. We continue to lead with facts and the data garnered from what we are seeing at our own healthcare system while listening to those healthcare workers who are on the frontlines caring for COVID patients as well as those who are researching this disease. We continue to provide free masks to protect our community. We continue to provide educational information, townhalls and safety resources to support and protect each other.
To that end, NCH will be hosting an OB Physician Panel entitled “Get the Facts About the COVID Vaccine and Fertility,” Tuesday, August 10 at noon. Visit the NCH website for more information and to register for the zoom. Additionally, community members can find more educational resources, testimonials from clinicians and physicians, and learn more about the vaccine at www.NaplesInUnity.com.
Our healthcare system is at a critical moment with more cases today than we had a year
ago. We need your help in keeping our community in unity, safe, and healthy. NCH and the City of Naples stand united and committed to a healthy community. Together, we can bring this community to immunity through our unity.
CONTACT: AMANDA LUCEY at NCH 678-591-6357
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About NCH Healthcare System
The NCH Healthcare System is a not-for-profit, multi-facility healthcare system located in Naples, Florida, and is a member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network. The System is more than just two hospitals (referred to as the NCH Baker Hospital and NCH North Naples Hospital) with a total of 713 beds. NCH is an alliance of 775 physicians and medical facilities in dozens of locations throughout Collier County and southwest Florida that offers nationally recognized, quality health care to our community. Our mission is to help everyone live a longer, happier, healthier life. For more information, visit www.NCHmd.org.
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