Update: Elective and ambulatory surgeries, which were suspended by the Covid-19 epidemic, are reinstated in Suffolk County, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said Saturday.
The procedures were suspended in mid-March as the epidemic began to spread across the state and hospitals turned their attention to dealing with infected patients.
Westchester was also given approval to reinstate the procedures and several counties elsewhere in the state had already returned to business.
“If you need medical attention, if you need a medical procedure, you should get it. And hospitals are safe places to go, to the extent people are worried about going to a hospital, there’s no reason.”
Northwell Health said Sunday, “The Governor’s announcement today that elective surgeries and ambulatory care procedures may resume in Suffolk and Westchester counties is welcome news. While Northwell Health hospitals have been performing emergency surgeries throughout the past two months, the health system cancelled all elective procedures beginning March 16. Northwell alone has a backlog of well over 10,000 urgent and elective surgeries that were postponed because of the COVID-19 epidemic, many of them in Suffolk and Westchester.
“About two weeks ago, Northwell hospitals resumed so-called “urgent” surgeries — cancer surgeries and other procedures that if delayed more than two or three months could result in long-term, negative health implications for patients. Beginning this week, Northwell facilities in Suffolk and Westchester will start scheduling elective procedures, but before any are performed, all patients will be required to undergo pre-surgical COVID-19 testing to ensure they are free of the virus. The most significant challenge for Northwell at this point is ensuring the public that its hospitals and outpatient facilities are safe, and that those who have medical concerns get them addressed immediately.”
Northwell Cancels Most Elective Surgeries; All LI Schools Ordered to Close