Texoma Medical Center Resumes Elective Procedures
Texoma Medical Center (TMC) will resume performing elective procedures on Wednesday, April 22. TMC’s decision to restart elective procedures came after Governor Greg Abbott’s announcement on Friday, April 17, that expanded guidelines related to hospitals in Texas performing medical procedures.
Under the direction of Governor Abbott, hospitals may perform surgical procedures in accordance with the commonly accepted standard of clinical practice, as long as it would not deplete hospital capacity or the personal protective equipment (PPE) needed to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Hospital leadership at TMC has been working to acquire an adequate amount of PPE to safely perform elective cases without depleting our supply," said Ron Seal, Chief Executive Officer of TMC. "Additionally, TMC has the appropriate bed capacity to restart surgical procedures. We want the public to know that we are continuing to take the necessary precautions to ensure that we are protecting our staff, providers, and patients. Fortunately, TMC has not been impacted by COVID-19 as significantly as other healthcare facilities in communities across the nation.”
All COVID-19 patients being treated at TMC are cared for on a dedicated unit under strict isolation precautions, and in negative pressure rooms.
Patients undergoing elective surgical procedures will have their surgery performed and will recover in patient care areas that are not designated for COVID-19. Any patient admitted to TMC for medical reasons will not be placed in a designated COVID-19 unit. “I want to reassure the community that we have the ability to care for their medical, surgical and emergent needs in the same safe environment that we provided prior to the pandemic,” said Seal.
TMC will continue screenings at all facility entrances, and will keep current visitation guidelines in effect until no longer deemed necessary.
We want to encourage the public to continue to practice hand hygiene, cover your cough and sneeze, avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth, and adhere to social distancing to prevent the spread of disease.