Local Hospitals Bring Back Elective Surgeries

DULUTH, Minn.– As healthcare facilities are working to contain Coronavirus, Minnesota hospitals are expected to lose $3 billion so far during the pandemic.

Last week, Governor Walz announced that hospitals could perform elective surgeries and after getting the okay from the governor, Essentia Health and St. Luke’s are bringing patients in for elective surgeries again.

Both hospitals say their first week of surgeries has gone well. St. Luke’s says they are at about 50 percent of their surgical capacity and Essentia is at 60 percent.

Both hospitals needed to have a plan for testing their surgical patients. They test them for Coronavirus three days before their surgery and ask them to self-isolate. Along with making sure the hospital still has enough PPE saved up to prepare for a surge of new COVID-19 patients.

The hospitals also say that no surgeries have been postponed due to someone testing positive and they are glad to have patients back.

“These are people who’ve waited a while now, a couple months to have procedures done,” said Dr. Jon Pryor, President of Essentia Health, East Market. “It’s nice to know that I think by all signs they seem pleased to be able to come back and feel like they are in a safe environment.”

The community has been pitching in to help. Giving meals to workers and donating over 5,000 masks to the hospitals. And St. Luke’s says their support during the pandemic means a lot.

“I just wanted to say thank you to our community,” said Dr. Nicholas Van Deelen, Chief Medical Officer for St. Luke’s. “There’s nothing more powerful than the human spirit when we support one another.”

St. Luke’s and Essentia announced they will not have any more scheduled weekly press conferences at this time but they will do more when necessary.