Vanderbilt hospital pauses some elective procedures over post-holiday COVID surge concerns
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WZTV) — Vanderbilt University Medical Center is pausing some elective procedures over concerns of a post-Thanksgiving COVID-19 surge.
In a statement to FOX 17 News, VUMC said starting Monday, it's "deferring select, non-emergent procedures."
“We are concerned enough about a post-Thanksgiving surge in COVID patients needing care that beginning today, to prioritize resources for the most immediate needs of the region," C. Wright Pinson, MBA, MD, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Chief Health System Officer of Vanderbilt University Medical Center, said.
Dr. Pinson says procedures will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Those procedures that will be deferred "based on consultation with our clinicians and the safety of each patient involved."
Deferred procedures will be rescheduled as quickly as possible, Dr. Pinson wrote.
This comes as nine of Middle Tennessee's most prominent medical leaders are begging Tennesseans to fight back against the spread of COVID-19, warning that if we don't, our hospital systems may not be able to handle it. The letter states that this second COVID-19 wave that we're experiencing is bigger and more deadly than the first.
In an open letter, leaders explain how strained many hospitals already are, due to an increase in patients and a decrease in staff who are quarantining at home due to COVID-19 exposure.
Finally, the letter urges people to limit gatherings and wear masks.
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