S.E. Williams | Contributor
Sacramento, CA – Californians, whose surgeries were put on hold to accommodate hospitals’ anticipated surge in patients due to COVID-19, may soon get calls from their healthcare providers to reschedule.
On Wednesday, April 22, 2020, Governor Gavin Newsom gave a green light for hospitals to resume surgeries such as heart valve replacements, angioplasty and tumor removals, and other key preventive care services, such as colonoscopies, etc.
Newsom said his decision was based on progress the state has made toward preparing California hospitals and health systems to handle the influx of COVID-19 patients, one of the six critical indicators he deemed necessary as part of his six-point strategy before he will authorize reopening the state.
Some, however, like longtime Beaumont resident Alicia H. Christian, who had her hysterectomy procedure placed on hold due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, shared with the IE Voice/Black Voice News, why she questions whether the governor was acting too soon.
“We are still getting new cases in Riverside County,” she pointed out. “Will there be a second wave?” she questioned. “I agree that the most critical patients should have surgeries, if you have a heart condition, cancer, etc.” She affirmed, but went on to stress her belief, “The surgeries that can wait, should.
California is part of a Western State Pact with Washington and Oregon, committed to sharing best practices on how to allow hospitals and medical providers to resume delayed medical care in areas that have sufficient hospital capacity, while also ensuring the safety and health of healthcare workers and patients. The governors of the three states previously shared how they are mutually committed to a science-based vision for gradually reopening their economies and controlling COVID-19 into the future.
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, Newsom has held his decisions for the state will be guided by science, not politics, and that Californians’ health comes first. “Thanks to the work our health care delivery system has done expanding hospital capacity and reducing the rate of spread of COVID-19, hospitals and health systems can consider resuming medical care that residents have delayed during this crisis . . . when such care can be delivered safely and with appropriate protections for health care workers.”
He concluded, “It’s in the best interest of the overall health of our state to allow these procedures to resume when they can be done safely.”