Alabama health experts bang the drum to wear a mask as holidays near
A new ad campaign from Alabama health organizations encourages mask wearing through a series of messages and images illustrating activities people enjoy that can be restored more quickly if people wear masks. Each image features a mask folded into a different shape to correspond with the message. (contributed)
With COVID-19 infections still surging and the holidays looming, Alabama health organizations are pulling out all the stops to encourage people to wear masks.
Ten health organizations in metro Birmingham, including several hospitals, have teamed up to create the “For All the Things You Love … Wear a Mask” campaign. The campaign features video public service announcements, in English and Spanish, encouraging people to mask up as the holidays approach.
Officials are encouraging people to share the videos – and the message – with friends and family and through social media. The campaign is sponsored by the following organizations: Ascension St. Vincent’s; Birmingham Veterans Affairs Health Care System; Brookwood Baptist Health; Children’s of Alabama; Cooper Green Mercy Health Services Authority; Grandview Medical Center; the Jefferson County Department of Health; the Jefferson County Medical Society; Medical West; and UAB Medicine.
For the Love Of… #Mask Up – English from UAB Health System on Vimeo.
Meanwhile, the Alabama Department of Public Health, the Alabama Hospital Association and the Medical Association of the State of Alabama are sponsoring a video contest for Alabamians of all ages to share why they feel it’s important to wear a mask.
Video entries can be submitted until Jan. 11 through the Mask Up Alabama website. A statewide panel of judges will pick the top 10 videos, and then five winners will be chosen through a public, online voting process. The first-place winner will receive $600 and the second- and third-place winners will receive $400 and $200, respectively. Two other honorable mention videos will be posted online along with the winners’ videos for use by media outlets and on social media.
Entries must be submitted by Alabama residents and should be 30 seconds or less. The videos should emphasize the reasons and benefits of mask-wearing in relation to COVID-19. Details and entry forms are available at MaskUpAlabama.
Many hospital administrators and health officials across the country fear that climbing COVID-19 infections, combined with holiday gatherings, could push hospital admissions over the edge and beyond their capacity to provide adequate treatment for all. They are urging people to avoid gathering, maintain social distancing and wear masks, along with frequent hand-washing.
For the latest numbers related to COVID-19 in Alabama, visit the Alabama Department of Public Heath dashboard.
