With the news from the province yesterday allowing hospitals to gradually begin ramping up non-emergent and non-urgent surgeries and procedures, staff have diligently been planning what this will look like at Stevenson Memorial Hospital (SMH). Effective 25 May, elective surgeries will recommence with the allocation of one Operating Room per day to support both urgent and non-urgent surgeries and procedures.
“We are pleased with yesterday’s announcement from the province and have responded with a plan that is safe for our hospital and community,” says Jody Levac, President and CEO, SMH. “We need to be mindful of our capacity and ensure there are beds and staff available to support critical care needs, but we are confident our plan will support both critical care and surgical needs, including some non-urgent surgeries.”
Since 12 April, 208 surgeries have been performed for emergency cases only. Pre-COVID-19, SMH was performing almost 300 surgeries per month.
“The Surgical Department at SMH is looking forward to providing their services to all of those who are in need and who have continued to wait patiently throughout the second and third waves,” says Dr. Syndie Singer, Chief of Surgery, SMH. “We just want to get back to doing what we love to do in a way that supports everyone. We are optimistic that we can slowly and safely begin working through the backlog of cases due to COVID-19 while managing our capacity in- hospital.”
Patients awaiting surgery will be contacted by their physician’s office to be advised of their appointment date.
Information regarding preparing for surgeries is provided to patients in advance of their procedure and is also available on SMH’s website: www.stevensonhospital.ca.
