Elective Surgeries To Resume In Oklahoma Friday

Elective surgeries will resume in Oklahoma this Friday following an order from Governor Kevin Stitt.

Doctors said the decision comes with some concern, but also a great deal of hope for those who are sick.

It’s been about a month since metro hospitals prepared for the predicted surge of COVID-19 patients.

They knew much of their PPE, man-hours and supplies would be needed to fight the novel coronavirus.

“We canceled, or stopped doing elective surgery on March 16th. I remember the Sunday prior is when we got out first diagnosis of a COVID patient in Norman Regional Hospital,” said Richard Kirkpatrick, Normal Regional Orthopedic Surgeon.

Governor Stitt called for elective procedures to be placed on hold, which helped stockpile resources for facilities, including the Oklahoma Blood Institute.

But because many blood drives at schools and workplaces have been canceled, OBI said the need for blood will grow exponentially.

“We are very nervous about it. Right now, we have just been keeping our head above water, just keeping with our supply,” said Dr. John Armitage. “We don’t want anyone to wait on their medical care because blood is not available.”

But doctors know the return of the elective surgeries are good for their patients.

They believe there is a misconception about what elective surgeries include.

“We are talking about heart caths, and GI procedures, and hernias and things that left unchecked become a significant issue down the road,” said Kirkpatrick.

It will also help hospitals rebound from lost revenue after the surgeries were stopped.

Integris furloughed workers two weeks ago, and temporarily closed their Portland campus.

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Norman Regional reported it has not been forced into making those tough decisions so far.

“Hopefully if we can get back, safely get back to some level or some semblance of normal operation relatively soon that furlough conversation won’t have to happen with us,” said Kirkpatrick.

As for safety precautions, he said Norman Regional will be testing surgical patients for COVID-19 before their procedures.

They plan on finalizing plans on their safety measures in the coming days.