Elective surgery still ongoing at Wellstar

Published 9:00 am Tuesday, August 31, 2021

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Wellstar West Georgia Medical Center is not canceling any of its elective procedures due to the COVID-19 pandemic at this time, per a statement from Wellstar Health System.

However, certain types of surgeries from Wellstar hospitals may be relocated to outpatient surgery centers to lower the number of in-hospital patients.

Major cancer surgeries or urgent procedures will continue to take place at the hospital.

“As more staffed beds are allocated to COVID patients, we may need to delay certain types of non-urgent procedures, such as cosmetic, bariatric, and spine and orthopedic surgeries in order to provide staffed beds for patients undergoing essential procedures or surgeries,” per the statement.

“Patients who are scheduled for procedures will be notified in advance if there is a change in scheduling or location. All decisions regarding procedure delays prioritize the quality of care for our patients.”

As a whole, Wellstar Health System is caring for 679 COVID-19 patients as of Aug. 30 – an increase of 15 patients from Sunday’s case total of 664.

Of the current cases, 621 are unvaccinated. A total of 150 people are in the ICU, 142 of which are unvaccinated, and a total of 110 people are on ventilators, 104 being unvaccinated.

The couny has 7,407 cases total.

Wellstar’s visitation level is currently ‘red’ meaning no essential caregivers or visitors are permitted.