Face masks now optional at Albany Area Primary Health Care facilities
Mar. 20—ALBANY — Albany Area Primary Health Care has announced that, effective Monday, face masks will now be optional in their medical offices.
"After assessing the data, and with what we're learning from the federal government, we feel confident in this decision," Lisa Rathel, director of nursing for AAPHC, said.
This announcement comes as the organization marks the third-year anniversary of when COVID first impacted our community.
"Masking up has been challenging for the past three years, but our organization can be proud knowing we did everything possible to minimize the risk of infection within our offices," Rathel said. "Wearing the masks was always about protecting one another and our patients, especially those most vulnerable to the virus."
"Over the last two years, the largest adult vaccination program in U.S. history was implemented with nearly 270 million Americans receiving at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine," Dr. Edward Vance, the chief medical officer for AAPHC, said. "As a result of mass vaccination and the many other efforts to stop the COVID spread, America has seen substantial improvement in COVID health metrics since the peak of the Omicron surge at the end of January 2022, including daily COVID reported cases are down 92% and COVID deaths have declined by over 80%.
"After considering all of these points, plus that the Department of Health and Human Services has announced they will end the Emergency Phase of the COVID Pandemic on May 11, we feel we are in a fairly positive position for handling COVID illness and can move forward with masking as option — rather than mandatory — for our patients."
AAPHC officials stressed that anyone who would like to continue to wear a mask is able to do so.
"We understand that some of our providers, staff and patients just feel more comfortable wearing a mask in a medical office," Rathel said. "If someone would like to wear one — especially to protect from germs — we completely understand and welcome it."
Patients of AAPHC can look for more information to be released from the group in the coming days. Providers and Employees of AAPHC were already notified of the change earlier this week.
"I think everyone is ready to see their co-workers and our patients smiling faces again," Rathel said.
Serving the Southwest Georgia community since 1979, Albany Area Primary Health Care is one of the largest Community Health Centers in Georgia and one of the largest medical groups in southwest Georgia. With more than 98 providers and 28 locations, AAPHC cares for patients across 10 counties in southwest Georgia.
AAPHC provides care in the specialties of Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, Pediatrics, Women's Health, Podiatry, General Dentistry, Vision Care and Behavioral Health. AAPHC medical offices are open to the general public, adults and children, regardless of residence, income or insurance coverage.
