Excela 'Mask Up' video taps Westmoreland faces

Some recognizable faces — even behind masks — are helping Excela Health officials stress the importance of mask-wearing and social distancing while the coronavirus vaccine infiltrates the community.

CEO John Sphon said the health system sought well-known figures to help spread the message as a way to reach county residents on a close-to-home level. A one-minute “Mask Up Westmoreland” public service announcement includes 11 community leaders and residents who represent a broad cross-section of the area.

“We thought we had a certain responsibility to be out there in the public,” said Sphon, who appears in the video.

The 11 participants ranged from a Norwin Middle School student and college professor to a clergyman and restaurant owner. Each had reasons for asking county residents to wear masks in a collective effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

Dr. Amalene Cooper-Morgan, assistant professor of chemistry at Seton Hill University, said she was asking others to wear a mask “because learning can’t always be done at a distance.”

Mt. Pleasant Mayor Jerry Lucia had the same message “because we are ready to get back to public ribbon-cuttings.”

Rizzi DeFabo, owner of Rizzo’s Malabar Inn in Crabtree, said it’s important to wear a face covering “because breaking bread at the table is better with the whole family — and a little sauce.”

Sphon said officials wanted to focus on local faces for the public service announcement to show every aspect of community life is impacted by the pandemic. Plus, it reinforces the message precautions are still important even for those already vaccinated. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends continued social distancing and mask-wearing because it is unclear if the virus can still be spread by someone who has been vaccinated.

“We hope that we get to a point where we don’t have to mask up,” Sphon said.

All of the participants were enthusiastic about their roles, he said. The video is posted on Excela Health’s website at excelahealth.org and on social media channels. Sphon said it could appear on television.