NEENAH—As COVID-19 spreads in the region, sending a record number of patients to ThedaCare’s seven hospitals, the system announced it will defer non-urgent elective surgeries as of today.
All urgent surgeries, and those that are performed on an outpatient basis, will continue at this time. Surgery teams and providers are evaluating procedures on a case-by-case basis, working with patients whose surgeries can safely be deferred a few weeks.
Throughout the ThedaCare system, there are nearly 95 COVID patients admitted as of today, more than any other time during the pandemic. Nearly 80% of COVID patients who have been hospitalized or in the ICU at ThedaCare during the pandemic were unvaccinated.
Current models predict cases will continue to rise for the next several weeks as the virus spreads in Northeast and Central Wisconsin, said Lynn Detterman, senior vice president of the ThedaCare South Region.
The hospital also is experiencing some of the highest absence rates of staff because of illness or exposure to COVID-19, she said.
“At any time in health care, it is not just about the number of beds a hospital system can create, or how many of those beds are open,” Detterman said. “The most important resource of capacity is caregivers. And we need our team members healthy and well to care for our patients.”
Dr. Michael Hooker, ThedaCare vice president and Chief Medical Officer-Acute Care, noted several factors were considered in the decision to defer surgeries, including capacity, staffing and patient conditions.
“This decision was made with the utmost concern to protect our patients, team members and communities,” Hooker said. “Surgeries and procedures that can safely be postponed without undue risk to the patient or the patient’s medical condition, will be rescheduled when there is appropriate staffing to do the procedures safely.”
If a patient condition changes, plans will be adjusted.
Care teams are working directly with patients to change appointments as needed. Those patients can expect a phone call from provider teams about changes to appointments and care plans.
ThedaCare will continue to monitor the situation and adjust surgery plans to best meet the needs of those served.
