The Novant Health UVA Health System will resume medically necessary, time-sensitive procedures.
Prince William Medical Center and Haymarket Medical Center will be rescheduling patients with postponed appointments and procedures. In addition, they will also provide imaging, labs, and other appointments to support these procedures.
“We are not performing elective surgeries at this time, as we’re still seeing COVID-19 numbers grow in our health district,” said Stephen Smith, MD, president, and chief operating officer of Prince William Medical Center and Haymarket Medical Center.
Virginia Governor Ralph Northam said that a 14-day decline in local Coronavirus cases would be required to perform elective procedures.
Virtual care options will continue as well and the system has encouraged people to use it as much as possible.
They have also added new safety measures. These include patient and team member temperature screenings, universal masking, enhanced cleaning processes, and increased resources to infection prevention teams.
The health system has also lowered the amount of patients in clinics at one time and reduced the number of waiting rooms. Previous restrictions will remain in place.
“We’ve introduced these protocols – including screening and testing patients prior to procedures – to limit exposure to respiratory illnesses in our acute care facilities,” said Smith.
Both hospitals, in accordance with CDC guidance, require that all patients wear a mask or face covering. Patients without a mask will be provided one upon entering the facilities.
The system has opened a new Respiratory Assessment Center inside Novant Health UVA Health System Urgent Care & Occupational Medicine. It is currently only for Novant Health UVA Health System Medical Group patients and Bristow walk-in patients experiencing moderate respiratory symptoms.
“The Respiratory Assessment Center will offer a full range of respiratory assessment services, including chest x-rays,” said Jo Westerfield, vice president of Novant Health UVA Health System Physician Network Services.
It is located at 10322 Bristow Center Drive in Bristow, Virginia.
More information on their response to the Coronavirus outbreak can be found on their website at NovantHealthUVA.org/coronavirus.
