CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Clinic has announced that they will halt all nonessential outpatient surgeries beginning on December 7 due to rising COVID-19 cases within the state.
The Clinic made the announcement in a press release stating that through January 4, 2021, any procedure which requires the use of a hospital bed or a stay in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), will be temporarily postponed. Lutheran Hospital in Cleveland is currently the only exception.
"It is important to understand that our hospitals remain safe and open to care for our community. Essential and urgent inpatient surgeries — including heart, cancer, pediatrics, transplantation and neurological cases —will continue as scheduled," a press release from the Cleveland Clinic reads.
The Cleveland Clinic says it is currently experiencing an exponentially high number of COVID-19 cases within the hospital system and in surrounding communities. Just last week, one Cleveland Clinic doctor told Ohio Governor Mike DeWine that nearly-1,000 healthcare workers are currently unable to work due to exposure or contraction of COVID-19.
"With these steps, we are proactively making more beds available to accommodate what we anticipate will be a continued increase in COVID-19 patients needing hospitalization," the Clinic said in regards to canceling nonessential procedures. "We will reevaluate our scheduled surgical cases as the pandemic continues. We encourage everyone to help keep our community safe and help limit the spread of the virus by remaining vigilant in wearing masks, social distancing, and washing your hands."
Editor's note: the video in the player below is from a story published on December 4, 2020.