COVID-19 Info

• If you're concerned or feeling ill

  If you are an established Mass General Brigham patient with a primary care provider, we recommend you contact your primary care provider’s office by phone or via Patient Gateway if you have symptoms that may indicate exposure to COVID-19 or if you believe you have been exposed.

  Symptoms include any one of the following:

  • Cough
  • Fever
  • Loss of smell
  • Loss of taste
  • Muscle aches
  • Shortness of breath
  • Sore throat

   

  1. Use the COVID-19 Screener online tool

     This always-on web tool allows Mass General Brigham patients who have symptoms of COVID-19 – or who are concerned about exposure to COVID-19 – to walk through a few automated online questions. At the end of the brief assessment, patients will be directed to next steps based on their health status.

     Start screening

      
  2. Call the COVID-19 Nurse Hotline at (617) 724-7000
      

     If you are an established Mass General Brigham patient but do not have a primary care provider – or are unable to reach them – you can call the Mass General Brigham COVID-19 Nurse Line at (617) 724-7000. Staffed from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday (closed on Sunday), nurses are available to respond to general or specific questions about COVID-19 for those who have symptoms, believe they may have been exposed, or are looking to learn more. If treatment is needed, they will guide you through next steps. Interpreters can be added to calls for patients who need it. The nurse hotline is available to anyone that is a Mass General Brigham patient, regardless of immigration status or insurance.

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  3. Launch a video visit at On Demand
     
     Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, our On Demand virtual visit platform is suggested for those who have symptoms of COVID-19 and/or have underlying conditions that may put them at greater risk. A doctor or advanced practitioner will conduct an intake assessment via a secure video visit and recommend next steps. Note: This service is only available to established Mass General Brigham patients in Massachusetts.
     
     Learn more about On Demand

  Please do not come to the emergency room for COVID-19 screening unless told to do so by your health care provider.

  As always, if you are having a medical emergency, please dial 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.

• About testing

  We recommend patients get tested for COVID-19 if you:

  • Have COVID-19-like symptoms 
  • Have been in close contact with a person confirmed to have COVID-19. Close contact means if you were within six feet of them for at least 15 minutes
    • while they showed symptoms or within the 48 hours before their symptom onset 
    • in the 48 hours before they took their test or anytime in the 10 days after their test 

  If you are concerned or feeling ill, please read the information above (“If you’re concerned or feeling ill” section). 
  
  We welcome all patients, even those who do not have insurance. We do not ask about immigration status.
  
  As part of our Safe Care Commitment, your Mass General Brigham provider may recommend testing. They may test you before you are admitted to the hospital or undergo a medical procedure. 
  
  If you are tested at Mass General Brigham, you likely will need an order from a provider and an appointment. 
  
  Test results are typically available within 72 hours. Results are available on our patient portal, Patient Gateway.
  
  Please note: Positive test results are reported to the Department of Public Health. You may get a call from your local Board of Health or the Massachusetts COVID Team.  

• Mask policy for patients

  Effective April 6, all patients in any clinical setting will be supplied with a procedural or surgical mask, which must be worn as part of our continued efforts to protect our health care workers and our patients and to combat community spread. All patients, including those in all inpatient areas, emergency departments, ambulatory settings, and peri-procedural areas must wear the mask provided to them. Inpatients must wear the mask while outside of their room or during prolonged face-to-face encounters in their rooms. All other patients must wear the mask for the duration of their visit or encounter.

• Policies about procedures and upcoming appointments

  Many elective and non-urgent procedures have resumed at Mass General Brigham. Contact your provider’s office with questions.

  If you have an upcoming routine medical appointment, please call your provider's office ahead of time. Many types of visits can be conducted over the phone or via video visit instead of in person. If you require an in person visit and you have symptoms of possible COVID-19, the office will instruct you on what do prior to arrival.

• More information

  The COVID-19 situation is changing rapidly, and we recommend that patients monitor information:

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  • Massachusetts Department of Public Health
  • Mass.gov's state-of-emergency webpage for updates

  You also can call the Massachusetts COVID-19 hotline for information by dialing 211, 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.

• Get texts about COVID-19

  Messages from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

  Massachusetts residents can subscribe to real-time COVID-19 notifications from public health officials by texting the keyword "COVIDMA" to 888-777.

  Messages from Mass General Brigham

  

   

For visitors

• Visitor policy

  All potential visitors should review the specific facility's website for the latest policies before attempting to visit. Some locations have more specific rules in place than the information below.

  As part of the Commonwealth’s phased reopening, hospitals are now permitted to welcome back a limited number of visitors, providing they follow certain rules. While Mass General Brigham hospitals will continue to support alternative electronic methods for communication between patients and visitors, we support the state’s guidance and will begin to allow one visitor per patient in the clinics and units that are able to meet the guidelines below. It is important to note that some units and areas in our facilities will not be able to accommodate visitors at this time in order to ensure the safety of all patients, visitors and staff.

  • As of August 1, all visitors who wish to enter a Mass General Brigham hospital or doctor’s office must comply with the new Massachusetts travel order. Visitors from "restricted" states must fill out a Massachusetts Travel Form. Visitors also must quarantine for 14 days or produce a COVID-negative test result. Please visit Mass.gov  for more details. There are limited exceptions for "essential visitors." (Patients seeking care also are exempt from the travel order.)
     
  • All visitors must be screened for symptoms of possible COVID-19 infection (fever, cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, chills, myalgia or new onset of loss of taste or smell). No visitors with any symptoms may be permitted into the hospital. Visitors with active COVID-19 infection will not be permitted. Visitors on the day of the visit can use the Mass General Brigham Prescreen tool  or complete a screening in person.
     
  • All visitors are required to wear a hospital-issued mask at all times while in the hospital. All visitors must perform hand hygiene upon entry to the facility.
     
  • No visitors under the age of 18 years old are allowed in the hospital unless the visitor is a child of a patient. People waiting to visit a patient should wait outside the hospital, rather than in hospital waiting rooms, until the time of their visit.
     
  • Visitors will not be permitted if the visitation poses a significant infection control risk to the patients, visitor, or staff.

For employees

• Employee protocols

  In response to COVID-19, Mass General Brigham has plans and resources in place to protect patients, employees, and the community. Mass General Brigham has:

  • Added a new daily procedure in which all Mass General Brigham employees are required to self-monitor for symptoms concerning COVID-19 infection
  • Developed a policy in which all employees must wear a mask at Mass General Brigham facilities (clinical and non-clinical) and when delivering home care
  • Required employees to wear protective eyewear during clinical encounters, which is consistent with state public health recommendations
  • Required asymptomatic health care workers to follow new protocols in accordance with state regulations before returning to work after potential COVID-19 exposure
  • Changed work policy for staff who are not required to be onsite to work remotely
  • Suspended all employee business-related travel and discouraged non-essential personal travel by employees
  • Prohibited employees from attending or hosting meetings which include more than a small number of people
  • Instituted a sick policy for employees (both health care workers and non-health care workers) to stay home if they feel sick and created a protocol for employees to guide them on when to come to work and when to stay home

  Pulse Intranet

  Ask MyHR Intranet 

  Employee Assistance Program 

  COVID Pass 

For shuttle riders

• Riding during COVID-19

  To ensure the safety of all individuals riding our shuttles, we will be strictly enforcing proper masking and hand-hygiene policies on all vehicles.

  • Ridership will not exceed the number of seats. No standing is permitted.
  • All riders are required to wear face masks correctly covering their nose and mouth.
  • Riders must perform hand hygiene upon entry and exit.
  • Riders not be permitted to eat or drink on the shuttles to ensure that masks remain in place consistently.

• Public websites

  The COVID-19 situation is changing rapidly, and we recommend that patients monitor information:

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  • Massachusetts Department of Public Health
  • Mass.gov's state-of-emergency webpage for updates

  You also can call the Massachusetts COVID-19 hotline for information by dialing 211, 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.

  Massachusetts residents also can subscribe to real-time COVID-19 notifications from public health officials by texting the keyword "COVIDMA" to 888-777.

• Prevention
  • Wash your hands often with soap and warm water, scrubbing for a least 20 seconds and then rinsing thoroughly
  • If soap and water are not available to wash your hands, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol
  • Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze and then throw the tissue in the trash before washing your hands with soap and water
  • Clean and disinfect surfaces you touch frequently like door handles, cell phones, tablets, and computers
  • Avoid contact with people who are sick or who may be sick with COVID-19 symptoms
  • Stay home when you can to lower the probability of getting the virus or potentially spreading it to others
  • If you must go out, avoid crowds and keep at least 6 feet away from people outside of your home while practicing social distancing
• Social distancing

  

• Ongoing Mass General Brigham activities to combat COVID-19

  In response to COVID-19, Mass General Brigham has ongoing plans and resources in place to protect patients, employees, and the community. Mass General Brigham is:

  • Coordinating with state and federal public health officials to provide safe care to anyone who presents with symptoms of COVID-19
  • Conducting patient and visitor screenings across our health system
  • Adhering to national infection control guidelines for staff, including isolating patients with suspected or confirmed viral respiratory illness and instituting a masking policy for staff, patients, and visitors
  • Planning and establishing surge areas at select hospitals to manage any influx of patients
  • Established the Boston Hope Medical Center to care for patients recovering from COVID-19
  • Ensuring adequate supplies of protective equipment and lab materials are on-hand, including establishing one of the nation’s first decontamination sites to sterilize masks for reuse at our hospitals and others in the region
  • Training and educating staff on emergency procedures
  • Practicing social distancing, including discontinuing events/conferences for staff and the public
  • Increasing how often common spaces and surfaces are cleaned
  • Providing virtual visits, when possible
  • Developing and expanding in-house capabilities to rapidly test for COVID-19
  • Launched the first U.S. trial of a coronavirus drug, Remdesivir, at Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, as well as conducting a vaccine trial of Brigham and Women's Hospital
  • Conducting clinical research for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19, as well as coordinating efforts with Biogen and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard to build and share a COVID-19 biobank
  • Contributing to the Boston Resiliency Fund, a philanthropic effort co-chaired by Partners and CEO Anne Klibanski, M.D., to provide essential services to front-line workers, health care providers, and families
  • Ensuring vulnerable communities in the Greater Boston area have equitable health care by expanding testing to better identify COVID-19 positive individuals, as well as outreach in these communities

How you can help

• Donate supplies
  

  Some hospitals at Mass General Brigham are currently accepting donations of personal protective equipment and other supplies, such as masks (N95, surgical, and procedural), gowns, protective eye wear, exam gloves, sanitizer, and thermometers.

  Prior to submitting a donation, please keep in mind any quality standards specified.

  You can donate supplies directly to an individual hospital:

  Cooley Dickinson Hospital

  Martha's Vineyard Hospital

  Nantucket Cottage Hospital

  Newton-Wellesley Hospital

  North Shore Medical Center

  Wentworth-Douglass Hospital

  Note: Mass General Brigham, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Brigham and Women's Faulkner Hospital, and Massachusetts General Hospital are no longer accepting supplies at this time.

• Donate blood

  As a result of COVID-19, many blood drives were canceled, and there is a critical shortage. Donating blood is an essential activity during this challenging time. It is a safe process with many precautions in place to take care of both donors and staff.

  

  If you're healthy and feeling well, consider making an appointment to donate blood. You can find more information at the following institutions' websites:

  Brigham and Women’s Hospital / Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

  Cooley Dickinson Hospital

  Massachusetts General Hospital

  American Red Cross

• Give now

  We are currently accepting monetary donations for emergency response centrally at Mass General Brigham and at our hospitals and care providers:

  Brigham and Women's Faulkner Hospital

  Brigham and Women's Hospital

  Cooley Dickinson Hospital

  Martha's Vineyard Hospital

  Massachusetts Eye and Ear

  Massachusetts General Hospital

  Nantucket Cottage Hospital

  Newton-Wellesley Hospital

  North Shore Medical Center

  Spaulding Rehabilitation Network and Partners HealthCare at Home

  Wentworth-Douglass Hospital