KCH Resumes Elective Procedures

PC: KCH

Patients may again seek some elective treatment options at Kona Community Hospital.

KCH announced Sunday it has resumed a limited number of elective outpatient services and procedures including imaging, respiratory therapy, rehabilitation services and surgery.

In order to manage and plan for the COVID-19 pandemic, KCH stopped all elective, nonemergent procedures on March 19. Since then, many patients have had to postpone important procedures that address health issues.

Whereas emergent surgical procedures address immediately life-threatening conditions, elective or non-emergent procedures often provide treatment to keep people alive and healthy.

“In alignment with our emergency management plan to be prepared for a possible surge, we will also monitor hospital utilization such as PPE inventory supplies and use rates, as well as staffing availability,” said Dr. Scott Cassidy, COVID-19 Incident Commander at Kona Community Hospital.

The KCH Incident Command team is working with guidelines developed by the American Hospital Association, American College of Surgeons, American Society of Anesthesiologists and Association of periOperative Registered Nurses to ensure the safety of elective procedures, the hospital said in a press release.

Patients whose procedures have been postponed will be contacted to schedule those procedures with KCH.