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“This temporary measure will allow our hospitals to enact preparedness plans we have been developing for weeks to create capacity and continue to deliver high quality care during the anticipated surge in COVID-19 cases,” HMH said in a statement.
Hackensack Meridian Health -- which has more than a dozen hospitals in six counties -- began prohibiting visitors, with certain exceptions, at its hospitals and nursing and rehab facilities on Friday.
That same day, the American College of Surgeons issued a statement that said, in part: “Guided by the trajectory of cases in Italy and other countries, it is very likely that the U.S. health care infrastructure and resources, particularly as it relates to care of the most critically ill patients, are likely to be strained over the coming weeks.”
Healthcare providers should postpone all scheduled elective procedures until they "can be confident that our health care infrastructure can support a potentially rapid and overwhelming uptick in critical patient care needs,” the ACS said.
In a #FlattenTheCurve tweet on Saturday, Surgeon General Jerome Adams said that elective surgery:
- Brings possible coronavirus to your facilities;
- Pulls from PPE stores;
- Taxes personnel who may be needed for #COVID-19 response.
HMH’s two-week postponement includes non-urgent and non-emergency hospital and campus-based surgeries and procedures – which will continue to be conducted off campus, the Hackensack-based medical group said.
The Hackensack Meridian Health Hospitals:
• Hackensack University Medical Center
• Pascack Valley Medical Center, Westwood
• Palisades Medical Center, North Bergen
• JFK Medical Center, Edison
• Raritan Bay Medical Center Old Bridge
• Raritan Bay Medical Center Perth Amboy
• Riverview Medical Center, Red Bank
• Bayshore Medical Center, Holmdel
• Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Neptune City
• Southern Ocean Medical Center, Manahawkin
• Ocean Medical Center, Brick
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