With respiratory illnesses spiking, Yale New Haven Health, including Lawrence+Memorial and Westerly hospitals, began requiring staff to wear masks when interacting with patients Wednesday. The new policy encourages patients and hospital visitors to mask up,

Yale New Haven Health has entered an agreement to acquire Nelson Ambulance and its affiliates, including Access Ambulance, according to the health system.

Yale New Haven Hospital said this week that it had about 100 patients admitted with COVID, flu, or RSV. It was not sure when the uptick would plateau, so as of Wednesday, staffers who deal with patients were required to wear a mask.