The Greene County Medical Center has started some services that were temporarily deferred due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Interim Chief Nursing Executive Debbie Saylor says they have slowly started offering elective surgeries again. She notes that as of last week, a limited number of outpatient surgeries and procedures have started again and by mid-June they will hopefully offer surgeries where patients need to be hospitalized. As part of the surgery scheduling process, Saylor points out some items that patients need to be aware of as COVID-19 continues.

“We’re also requiring that all patients coming in for surgery or a procedures get a COVID(-19) test completed less than 72 hours prior to the procedure, and that the patient commits to self-isolate from the time the test is collected until the time they arrive at the hospital for the procedure.” 

Saylor adds, it will take a few months until surgeries are back to full operation, but they are in full compliance with social distancing, preventative, and sanitizing measures as recommended and required by the Centers for Disease Control, Iowa Department of Public Health and the Iowa Hospital Association.