NEW YORK — On Monday, Gov. Kathy Hochul's office issued an order calling on 32 hospitals in the state to stop non-essential elective procedures, including seven Western New York hospitals.
To ease the burden and perhaps make space for new COVID patients, Hochul gave the state health department discretion to order hospital administrators to limit non-essential, non-urgent procedures for hospital systems with "limited capacity" in an executive order signed last month. That capacity is defined as below 10% staffed bed capacity or other utilization factors.
The following were included on the list:
- Erie County Medical Center
- Mercy Hospital of Buffalo
- Mount St. Mary's Hospital and Health Center
- Sisters of Charity Hospital
- UPMC Chautauqua at WCA
- Brooks-TLC Hospital System Inc. in Chautauqua County
- Wyoming County Community Hospital
The guidance to halt elective surgeries applies to procedures scheduled on or after Dec. 9. Final guidance was issued on Dec. 3 in a Dear Administrator Letter.
The following procedures are considered essential: cancer (including diagnostic procedure of suspected cancer), neurosurgery, intractable pain, highly symptomatic patients, transplants, trauma, cardiac with symptoms, limb threatening vascular procedures, dialysis vascular access, and patients that are at a clinically high risk of harm if their procedures are not completed.
Additionally, Kaleida Health announced in a statement Monday night it is "proactively postponing non-essential elective inpatient surgeries at Buffalo General Medical Center and Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital."
Below is the full list of hospitals affected: