North Idaho health care organizations send letter to city officials

To Our Honorable Elected Officials, As health care organizations, we have an important role in advocating for and protecting the health of our community and fellow health care workers. We cannot sit idly and watch COVID-19 sweep through our community and threaten to overrun health care facilities without trying to prevent further crisis. We view masking not as a matter of politics or rights, but as a matter of public health and civic duty.

We understand the significant hardship lockdowns have on local businesses, and the impact school closures have on our children and families. We want to avoid lockdowns. Wearing masks will slow the spread, keep businesses open and give our schools the best possible environment for re-opening.

After observing the alarming spread of COVID-19 in northern Idaho and other parts of the world, it is clear that wide-spread use of masks helps prevent the transmission of COVID-19.

It is our position that every person should wear a face covering in public when a physical distance of 6 feet from others cannot be maintained.

Furthermore, we fully support Panhandle Health District’s decision to require masks in the public places of Kootenai County and we strongly encourage other municipalities in the other northern counties to prepare to enact the same.

Our collective doctors, nurses and employees have devoted their careers to caring for our community and as we navigate this unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, our commitment to protecting human life has never been more important; which is the precise reason behind this letter.

We are the health care providers of North Idaho and we are wearing masks to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. We ask everyone in our communities to join us.

Sincerely,

Benewah Community Hospital, Chuck Lloyd, CEO

CHAS Health, Aaron Wilson, CEO

Clearwater Valley Hospital and Clinics, Lenne Bonner, CEO

Gritman Medical Center, Kara Besst, CEO

Heritage Health, Mike Baker, CEO

Kaniksu Health, Kevin Knepper, CEO

Kootenai Health, Jon Ness, CEO

Marimn Health, Helo Hancock, CEO

North Idaho Advanced Care Hospital, Shane Sanborn, CEO

Northwest Specialty Hospital, Rick Rasmussen, CEO

Rehabilitation Hospital of the Northwest, Dave Cox, CEO

Shoshone Medical Center, Paul Lewis, CEO

St. Joseph’s Medical Center, Tim Trottier, CEO

St. Mary’s Hospital and Clinics, Lenne Bonner, CEO

Syringa Hospital and Clinics, Abner King, CEO