UW Health, SSM Health and UnityPoint Health ‒ Meriter are slowly resuming patient procedures that were postponed at the onset of the COVID-19 crisis.
The postponement of these procedures and non-urgent surgeries was taken with the health and safety of patients and staff in mind.
While it remains important that the public call ahead to their doctors if they are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, the staff in each of the Madison area emergency departments are able to safely treat patients with urgent healthcare issues, according to a news release.
If you are experiencing symptoms of a heart attack, stroke or other serious medical event, come to the emergency department or call 911.
According to a joint news release from Madison hospitals:
· Postponements cannot continue indefinitely for most patients, and the urgency or necessity of procedures requires that we move to accommodate patient needs to avoid complications and improve their quality of life
· After weeks of handling COVID-19 positive patients under new protocols, we have confirmed our ability to isolate and treat positive patients without putting others at risk
· Our improved COVID-19 testing capabilities and pre-op screening process further improves safety for patients and staff
Requirements for social distancing, self-monitoring and PPE conservation remain in place and are not expected to change in the coming days.
But while the COVID-19 response will continue, the hospitals currently have the ability to safely address more of our patients’ health care needs than we did a few weeks ago, and that is a positive development.
To read more go to WKOW https://wkow.com/2020/04/23/madison-hospitals-resuming-postponed-procedures/