KN95 or N95 masks required for UNMC faculty, staff and students

UNMC will now require KN95 masks for faculty, staff and students who are on campus, if not already in a fitted N95.

The decision follows a directive from Nebraska Medicine that colleagues in clinical areas, including students on rotation, wear a KN95 or N95 mask. The guidance is for all UNMC campuses and goes into effect Monday, Jan. 17.

Supervisors, managers or administrators may order KN95 masks via the UNMC Mask Request Form. (The site now is updated to accept KN95 orders. Colleges or institutes also may choose to manage orders centrally through their college or institute.) Departments and program directors will provide masks as needed.

"We want to support our Nebraska Medicine partners and assist our students and employees in getting well fitting masks to protect themselves and others," said Jane Meza, PhD, interim executive director for health security at UNMC.

This requirement extends to all UNMC vendors as well.

For clinical employees and students who are fit tested for an N95, they can choose to wear the respirator during their shift, especially those who work in areas where they often encounter a patient whose COVID-19 status is unknown:

• Emergency department
• Immediate care clinics
• Screening stations

As a reminder, KN95s can be reused.

Patient care setting: Facemasks worn during patient encounters may be reused during a single shift but should be discarded at the end of the shift.

Non-patient care setting: A disposable facemask can be worn for several hours or up to a few days when stored safely and when not wet or distorted.

Refer to these extended use guidelines for details.

Eye protection also is required for any colleague or student who has interaction with patients.

As with all of our guidance, it may change as the situation with our workforce and community changes. See the UNMC COVID-19 Resources page for updates information.