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Elective surgeries and procedures postponed at SMH

January 20, 2022   ·   0 Comments

Stevenson Memorial Hospital has ramped down elective and non-urgent surgeries procedures.

The hospital was directed to make the change by the Province.

Effective January 5, 2022, began ramping down elective a non-urgent diagnostic imaging and ambulatory care services to accommodate current pandemic-related pressures due to staffing issues and bed capacity.

All patients with pre-booked surgeries or procedures that have been postponed will be contacted by the hospital or their physician’s office and notified of the change.

If a patient has not been contacted, the procedure will go forward as planned.

The hospital is asking individuals that have a requisition for a non-urgent diagnostic imaging procedure (i.e.: x-ray) to refrain from coming to the hospital for a walk-in procedure.

“|We are taking direction from the Ministry of Health in ramping down our pre-scheduled surgical services and procedures during this difficult time,” said Jody Levac, President and CEO at SMH. “I know this is not the news many want to hear, but we need to ensure that our staffing and bed capacity stays as optimal as possible during a time of increased pressure with the onset of the Omicron variant. We will ramp our services back up as soon as it is possible to do so.”

The hospital will continue with elective surgeries and procedures once approval is provided by the Province.

If a patient has a question about the status of their surgery, please call the physician or surgeon’s office directly.

By Brian Lockhart
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

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