CHI Health Hospitals Giving Away Free Masks on June 13

Thousands of free masks to be handed out Saturday, June 13

In an effort to protect community members and thank them for their support these past few months, CHI Health St. Elizabeth in Lincoln, CHI Health Good Samaritan in Kearney and CHI Health St. Francis in Grand Island will be handing out thousands of free protective masks on their campuses on Sat.., June 13 from 9 a.m. to noon.

The community is encouraged to drive through for a free mask while supplies last.

Hospital volunteers will deliver masks through open driver-side windows. To ensure social distancing, the public should remain in their vehicles at all times.

Drive-through event location:

  • CHI Health St. Elizabeth, 555 S 70th Street, main entrance circle drive
  • CHI Health Good Samaritan, 10 E. 31st St., Parking Lot M, north of the hospital and former CHI Health Clinic, look for the red pop-up tent
  • CHI Health St. Francis, 2620 W. Faidley Ave., Parking Lot A, south of the hospital's main doors, look for the pop-up tent

At the start of the coronavirus pandemic, CEO Dr. Cliff Robertson wanted to ensure CHI Health could help protect the community while also preserving vital personal protective equipment for health care workers. CHI Health had thousands of washable, two-ply poly cotton blend masks made in an effort to help keep individuals inside and outside our hospitals safe.

"Wearing a mask helps limit the spread of COVID-19," said Ed Hannon, president, St. Francis. "We understand that not everyone has access to a mask. This is our chance to give back to our community."

"Central Nebraska has stepped up to support its health care workers and hospital staff in many ways over the last few months - whether it was a food donation, a thank you card or sidewalk chalk art. We also want to give back and contribute to the safety of our community outside our hospital walls," said Michael Schnieders, president, Good Samaritan.

Two thousand masks will also be handed out at CHI Health St. Elizabeth in Lincoln on Saturday morning. In addition, CHI Health is working with community partners in the Omaha-metro to make sure at-risk populations have access to these masks.

About CHI Health:

CHI Health is a regional health network with a unified mission: nurturing the healing ministry of the Church while creating healthier communities. Headquartered in Omaha, the combined organization consists of 14 hospitals, two stand-alone behavioral health facilities, more than 150 employed physician practice locations and more than 10,000 employees in Nebraska and southwestern Iowa.

In fiscal 2019, CHI Health invested more than $185 million back into our communities. The majority of those dollars went to caring for the poor and underserved.

CHI Health is part of CommonSpirit Health, a nonprofit, Catholic health system dedicated to advancing health for all people. It was created in February 2019 through the alignment of Catholic Health Initiatives and Dignity Health. CommonSpirit Health is committed to creating healthy communities, delivering exceptional patient care, and ensuring every person has access to quality health care. With its national office in Chicago and a team of approximately 150,000 employees and 25,000 physicians and advanced practice clinicians, CommonSpirit Health operates 142 hospitals and more than 700 care sites across 21 states. In FY 2018, Catholic Health Initiatives and Dignity Health had combined revenues of $29.2 billion and provided $4.2 billion in charity care, community benefit, and unreimbursed government programs.