(Seguin) – GRMC this week will begin preparing its operating rooms. Guadalupe Regional Medical Center officials say on Tuesday, they will resume scheduling elective surgical procedures for their operation rooms. In accordance with guidance from the American College of Surgeons, hospitals officials will begin performing elective procedures at approximately 25 percent of their usual volume to ensure that they maintain adequate bed and supply availability to treat COVID-19 patients.
Earlier this month, Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued executive orders relaxing prohibitions on performance of elective surgical procedures during the COVID-19 disaster. The purpose of the prohibition was to conserve personal protective equipment (masks, gowns, gloves, and facemasks) that are needed to care for COVID-19 patients.
Today, Guadalupe County has reported a total of 69 confirmed cases of COVID-19. Of that total, 35 are recovered and 34 are active cases.
Fortunately, GRMC officials say the region has not seen surges of COVID-19 patients that have tested the other areas of a hospital’s capacity.
Robert Haynes, chief executive officer for GRMC, has been reporting all along to the Seguin Daily News that Guadalupe Regional Medical Center has been closely monitoring its supply of personal protective equipment and has adequate amounts available to re-open its operating room for elective surgical procedures.
Elizabeth McCown, director of risk and legal affairs for GRMC, says decisions about surgery will continue to be determined by those surgeons who have direct responsibility to their patients. She says those who have postponed a surgical procedure are encouraged to call their physician’s office to discuss when they should schedule that operation.
“We decided that it was okay to go ahead and open our operating room to a limited degree so that we can slowly get back to business as usual (but) with the recognition, that it is still not business as usual. We still have COVID in our county. The numbers look like they have slowed down significantly in the amount of cases per day. That we seem to have kind of a contained rate of growth, if you will, so knowing that we have patient populations that our surgeons have been on hand to treat emergent cases during the governor’s initial restrictions on surgeries. They were still allowed but there are some patient populations that need surgery for whatever their condition is and that condition can continue to worsen if they don’t get surgery or they continue to be uncomfortable, things of that nature,” said McCown.
The hospital’s no visitor policy, however, will continue (with exceptions for special patient populations). One visitor will continue to be allowed only for the following circumstances: childbirth, end of life, parent of pediatric patients, goodbye visit of military personnel departing for deployment, and one designated caregiver for patients who are not capable of making their own medical decisions.
All out-patient surgery patients will need to arrange to be dropped off and picked up.
Visitors will continue to be screened for travel, fever, and respiratory symptoms and no visitors under the age of 13 will be allowed in the hospital. The Patient Tower entrance remains closed. The hospital will continue to process patients through the Central and ER entrances. The Central tower entrance is open Mondays through Fridays 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and the ER entrance is open 24 hours a day.
Hospital officials remind the public that COVID-19 is a serious situation and continues to evolve. They say GRMC will continue to evaluate and respond to provide the best and safest care possible in these challenging times.