Scheduled medical procedures to resume today as Virginia turns corner on coronavirus pandemic

Starting today, Gov. Ralph Northam is relaxing what were his strict orders that prevented Virginians to have nonessential surgery during the spread of the coronavirus.

“Today, I’m announcing that elective surgery and dental procedures can resume when the public order expires at midnight on [May 1] with guidelines in place to ensure safety for healthcare workers and patients and to maintain an adequate supply of PPE,” Northam said at a press conference on Wednesday, April 29.

Northam banned elective medical procedures on March 25 under as part of his response to the coronavirus pandemic. Since then, hospitals across the state have widely been empty, and have had to furlough staff due to lack of business.

The ban was lifted due to measures, such as social distancing, that have slowed the spread of the coronavirus in the region, according to a press release from the governor’s office.

Following the governor’s announcement, officials at Mary Washington Hosptial in Fredericksburg wasted no time telling residents it would resume scheduled surgeries.

“Early on in the process, Virginia hospitals took the precautionary step of postponing non-emergency medical procedures to preserve personal protective equipment (PPE) and to create additional capacity in our facilities,” states Mike McDermott, MD, president and CEO of Mary Washington Healthcare in a press release. “As we consider the current situation in Fredericksburg, and throughout the Commonwealth, we now believe the time is right to begin providing non-emergency, scheduled procedures to people who need care to improve their health outcomes.”

While the spread of the coronavirus has slowed in Virginia, Northam received more outside pressure than simply those statistics to resume elective medical procedures.

The Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association (VHHA) sent a letter to Northam on April 18 requesting that Public Health Order Two not be extended past April 24 due to their concern about the effect of delaying procedures on patients.

“We are concerned that continuing to delay their care while we have available capacity to address and/or stabilize their conditions will have long-term negative impacts on health across the Commonwealth,” stated the VHHA in their letter.

The VHHA also placed pressure on Northam due to their concern regarding recently furloughed hospital workers.

Hospitals across the state are largely empty and going unused, according to Virginia State Senator Chap Petersen (D-Fairfax), causing them to lose revenue and furlough workers.

There are 6,000 open beds in VHHA hospitals, and 60,000 patients have had their elective surgeries canceled over the past month, according to the VHHA’s letter to the governor.

“Virginia hospitals and health systems have the capacity to meet the medical treatment needs of patients who need procedures that have been postponed due to the pandemic while also maintaining a high level of care for COVID-19 patients,” said Julian Walker, Vice President of Communications at the VHAA.