Advertisement

Header Utility Menu

  • Subscribe
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Events

LinkedIn Facebook Twitter Instagram Get Our App

  • Login

Virginia Business

Mobile Menu

  • Issues
  • Industries
    • Banking/Finances
    • Law
    • Real Estate
    • Economic Development
    • Education
    • Energy/Green
    • Federal Contracting
    • Government
    • Healthcare
    • Hotels/Tourism
    • Insurance
    • Ports/Trade
    • Small Business
    • Startups
    • Technology
    • Transportation
  • Regions
    • Central Virginia
    • Eastern Virginia
    • Northern Virginia
    • Roanoke/New River Valley
    • Shenandoah Valley
    • Southern Virginia
    • Southwest Virginia
  • Reports
    • Best Places to Work
    • Business Person of the Year
    • CEO Pay
    • COVID-19
    • Generous Virginians Project
    • Legal Elite
    • Most Influential Virginians
    • Maritime Guide
    • Site Locator
    • The Big Book
    • Virginia CFO Awards
  • Company News
    • For the Record
    • People
  • Opinion
  • Lists
  • Awards/Events
    • 2022 Virginia Business Political Roundtable
    • Women in Leadership
    • Diversity Leadership Series
    • Virginia 500
    • Legal Elite
    • CFO Awards
    • Big Book of Lists
    • 100 People To Meet
    • Best Places To Work
  • Virginia 500
    • Read The Issue
    • Power Up Virginia 500
    • Buy an award plaque
    • Suggest execs for 2023

Advertisement

Header Primary Menu

  • Issues
    • January 2023
    • December 2022
    • November 2022
    • October 2022
    • September 2022
    • Issues Archive
  • Industries
    • Banking/Finances
    • Law
    • Real Estate
    • Economic Development
    • Education
    • Energy/Green
    • Federal Contracting
    • Government
    • Healthcare
    • Hotels/Tourism
    • Insurance
    • Ports/Trade
    • Small Business
    • Startups
    • Technology
    • Transportation
  • Regions
    • Central Virginia
    • Eastern Virginia
    • Northern Virginia
    • Roanoke/New River Valley
    • Shenandoah Valley
    • Southern Virginia
    • Southwest Virginia
  • Reports
    • Best Places to Work
    • Business Person of the Year
    • CEO Pay
    • COVID-19
    • Generous Virginians Project
    • Legal Elite
    • Most Influential Virginians
    • Maritime Guide
    • Site Locator
    • The Big Book
    • Virginia CFO Awards
  • Company News
    • For the Record
    • People
  • Opinion
  • Lists
  • Awards/Events
    • 2022 Virginia Business Political Roundtable
    • Women in Leadership
    • Diversity Leadership Series
    • Virginia 500
    • Legal Elite
    • CFO Awards
    • Big Book of Lists
    • 100 People To Meet
    • Best Places To Work
  • Virginia 500
    • Read The Issue
    • Power Up Virginia 500
    • Buy an award plaque
    • Suggest execs for 2023

Home News Nonemergency medical procedures to resume Friday

Nonemergency medical procedures to resume Friday

Governor assures Virginians it's safe to seek health care

Published April 29, 2020 by Richard Foster

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam speaks at an April 20 news conference.
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam speaks at an April 20 news conference.

Virginia hospitals, outpatient care providers, dentists and veterinarians can resume performing elective surgeries and nonemergency procedures after a temporary ban expires at midnight Thursday, Gov. Ralph Northam announced during a news conference on Wednesday.

“I want to encourage all Virginians that your health care is important and I encourage you to resume that health care and we will together do it in a safe manner,” Northam said.

Several major health systems operating in Virginia, including Ballad Health, Bon Secours Mercy Health, Carilion Clinic, Inova Health System and U.Va. Health, have furloughed employees, reduced hours and instituted pay cuts in recent weeks as their revenues fell dramatically because medical care services not related to COVID-19 have fallen off by as much as 70% since the pandemic began.

The five-week ban on elective procedures, which went into effect on March 25, was ordered to preserve personal protective equipment (PPE) for frontline medical workers and to prepare for a potential surge in COVID-19 hospitalizations, the governor said.  At that time, Northam said, the state was worried about running out of hospital beds because it had a far lesser capacity for COVID-19 testing and didn’t yet have supply chains established to replenish PPE or procedures for sterilizing and reusing masks and surgical gowns.

“Because everyone has worked together, we have avoided that [surge],” Northam added. “Our efforts to slow the spread of this virus are showing success. Our hospitals have not been overwhelmed.”

“As we consider the current situation and the other medical needs of Virginia patients, we now believe the time is right to chart a path to begin providing nonemergency scheduled procedures to people who need that care in inpatient and outpatient settings to improve their health outcomes,” said Dr. Michael P. McDermott, president and CEO of Fredericksburg-based Mary Washington Healthcare and chairman of the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association’s board of directors. “Virginia hospitals have more than 5,000 available beds to meet patient needs and continue the care for those impacted by COVID-19.”

Addressing concerns that patients may have about getting potentially exposed to COVID-19 in health care settings, McDermott said, “Our hospitals follow best practice care and infection prevention protocols and are exceedingly safe facilities. It is important for all Virginians to know that if you need care,  please do not hesitate to receive care to improve your health outcome.”

Dr. Elizabeth C. Reynolds, president of the Virginia Dental Association, said, “We are excited and prepared to open our offices and begin safely seeing our patients for comprehensive care. … I encourage anyone who may have had to postpone dental treatment or may be having a dental issue to call your dentist now and work with him or her to develop a dental treatment plan.”

State Health Commissioner Dr. Norman Oliver said it may take a while for health care systems to be able to fully get back to business. “Having worked in major health care systems, it will take a while for the hospitals to actually ramp up,” he said, due to factors such as bringing back furloughed staff and having to order lab tests and imaging studies in preparation for surgical procedures.

“There’s a backlog of patients. This will occur over the first couple of weeks, you’ll see that ramping up,” Oliver said. “Most hospital systems have been hit very hard with the decrease in their occupancy, so some of them have already furloughed some employees. Part of preparing for reopening elective surgeries, perhaps, would be bringing some of those folks back.”

VCU Health issued a statement on Wednesday, listing preventative steps it’s taking, including testing every patient for COVID-19 prior to surgery and using telehealth appointments and drive-thru testing to reduce the time patients need to spend inside medical facilities and public waiting areas.

“We never stopped providing life-saving care at our hospitals, such as transplants, trauma surgeries or cancer care,” said Dr. Ron Clark, interim CEO of VCU Hospitals and Clinics. “For weeks, we have worked on a road map to resume elective surgeries and postponed procedures, with safety as our top priority. This plan is now activated, and we are in the process of reintroducing services gradually.”

Virginia Business Deputy Editor Kate Andrews contributed to this story.

Subscribe to Virginia Business.

Get our daily e-newsletter.

Related Stories

Virginia Business logo

State directs $30M to health care providers struggling from pandemic

Emergency funding to go to providers serving Medicaid members

Virginia Business logo

Northam directs $73M to home health care worker hazard pay

Workers to receive one-time $1.5K payment

Danville, Eastern Shore first Va. localities to move into third vaccination phase

Group 1c includes energy, law, finance and higher ed workers

Trending

Dollar Tree CEO resigning; former Dollar General CEO to replace him

Rivers Casino Portsmouth opens to big crowds

Framatome CEO retiring; CFO to be promoted

Va. bill aims to reduce mental health stigma for health care workers

Former EAB buildings in Henrico sell for $5.35M

Sponsored Stories

In the New Year, Aim for Better Cybersecurity

4 innovative ways to create capacity

WHERE IS THE SUPPLY CHAIN WHEN YOU NEED IT?

P.A.I.N.T. Your Financial Mountain

5 Benefits of Treasury Management Services from Atlantic Union Bank

Blazing trails in the digital landscape

Advertisement

Advertisement

Trending

Dollar Tree CEO resigning; former Dollar General CEO to replace him

Rivers Casino Portsmouth opens to big crowds

Framatome CEO retiring; CFO to be promoted

Va. bill aims to reduce mental health stigma for health care workers

Former EAB buildings in Henrico sell for $5.35M

Sponsored Stories

In the New Year, Aim for Better Cybersecurity

4 innovative ways to create capacity

WHERE IS THE SUPPLY CHAIN WHEN YOU NEED IT?

P.A.I.N.T. Your Financial Mountain

5 Benefits of Treasury Management Services from Atlantic Union Bank

Blazing trails in the digital landscape

Get Virginia Business directly on your tablet or in your mailbox!

Subscribe to Virginia Business

Advertisement

Advertisement

Footer Primary Menu

  • virginiabusiness.com
  • Subscribe
  • Advertise
  • About Us
  • Contact Us

Footer Secondary Menu

  • Industries
  • Regions
  • Reports
  • Company News
  • Events

Sign Up For Our Newsletter

Sign Up

LinkedIn Facebook Twitter Instagram Get Our App

Privacy Policy Cookie Policy

Footer Utility Menu

Copyright © 2023 Virginia Business. All rights reserved.

Site Maintained by TechArk