Dignity Health sees increase of people stealing hospital supplies

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - People are stealing hospital masks and sanitizers from Dignity Health Hospitals across Santa Barbara, Ventura and San Luis Obispo Counties.

Dignity Health, which operates hospitals from Camarillo to Oxnard and Santa Maria to San Luis Obispo, says members of the public have unnecessarily removed these items from facilities. Warning that doing so is putting the health and safety of patients at risk.

The statement says in part, "Taking critical hospital supplies is stealing from the patients we are working diligently to care for."

These masks being taken from Dignity Health Hospitals also are not protection from COVID-19, according to the statement.