Blanchard Valley Health System updates masking policy
Blanchard Valley Health System (BVHS) has updated its organization-wide COVID-19 masking policy in response to the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance.
Effective Thursday, October 6, 2022, vaccinated BVHS associates working in non-clinical areas will be able to unmask in specified areas during all transmission levels.
BVHS clinical-working associates will continue to mask, regardless of vaccination status, during periods of high transmission, as defined by the CDC.
Visitors and patients will continue to be screened and if asymptomatic, with no known exposures, will be encouraged but not required to wear a mask. Masks will be readily available for all visitors and patients.
Birchaven Village and Independence House are required to follow their regulatory criteria and may be more stringent in their masking protocols. Please follow posted instructions when entering these facilities.
BVHS will continue to monitor the regulatory guidance provided as changes are announced and will modify and communicate the masking requirements as necessary.
For more information about COVID-19 efforts and guidelines at BVHS please visit www.bvhealthsystem.org/guidelines
Stories Posted This Week
Friday, September 11, 2026
- Mennonite Home Communities provide backup phone numbers during outage
- Pirate volleyball wins in four vs. Elmwood
- Howard Thornsberry worked in the produce industry
- Pirate girls soccer silenced by Bath
- Pirate boys soccer nipped by Liberty-Benton
- September 11 Bluffton High School athletics lineup, streaming
- Sept. 12 Open Doors offers sneak peek at future Bluffton museum space
- Innovation Forum challenges leaders to think deeper about AI
- Invitation to Sept 15 Bluffton Lions program with Dr. William H. Kose
- Deer archery hunting begins Sept. 12 in Disease Surveillance Area
Thursday, September 10, 2026
- Women in Business program with Positive Nutrition
- It's time for Fall Storytime at the Bluffton Public Library
- Pirate girls golf win vs. Lima Central Catholic
- Pirate boys golf splits NWC tri
- Bluffton PTO is collecting Community Markets receipts
- Richland Twp. trustees hire mower and Zoning Inspector
- Schumacher Homestead plans a farm full of Fall Fest activities
- Hindsight is 20/20: Recent reports for RSV, flu, and COVID-19
Wednesday, September 9, 2026
- Darrell Lee Diller, 92, managed a farming business
- Bluffton alumni will discuss pathways to chaplaincy
- Beaverdam cleanup day is Sept. 12
- Pirate boys golf 3rd at NWC quad
- Pirate volleyball outlasts Arlington
- Pirate girls soccer blanks Crestview
- Pirate boys soccer tie vs. Kalida
- Letter: The future of American agriculture
- Maple Grove Cemetery records now online
Tuesday, September 8, 2026
- Bluffton Historical meets Sept. 9 at the 1899 Depot
- Jerry L. Blosser worked for DTR Industries
- Bluffton Schools cancelled on September 8, cleanup for biodigester malfunction underway
- July 2026 Bluffton Police Dept. activity report
- Hillville Rd. closure on Sept. 8-9
- Lions and friends will count pathway users in September
- Bluffton Ohio Historical Society takes part in Ohio Open Doors, Sept. 12