Update on Surgeries
As there continue to be new developments with COVID-19, we thought it was important to provide you with an update on surgery at Mountain View Hospital. At this time, our hospital and our providers are working together to assess the needs of each patient individually. Every corner of the country is facing unique situations, local doctors and hospitals are in the best position to understand how to treat their patients amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Patient safety is always our top priority.
In different parts of the country, where there is widespread of COVID-19, hospitals have decided to stop elective surgery to help ensure resources are being directed to fight the virus and so employees are ready to handle a potential influx of patients. Mountain View Hospital is continuing to perform surgeries for the time being and we think it is important you know why we’ve made this decision:
We have enough resources to continue treating our patients. We are not a hospital with an emergency room. Our patients come to us because they have scheduled procedures. Our sister hospital, Idaho Falls Community Hospital treats community members who suddenly feel unwell or have an emergency. For the past few weeks, they have been actively preparing for COVID-19 to make sure they are ready to treat patients with the virus. We have been in close communication with them, if the situation in our community changes and Idaho Falls Community Hospital needs to use resources or supplies from our hospital, we will cancel surgery. However, at this time, we are nowhere near that point.
Doctors are responding to patients immediate needs. Each community will be impacted by COVID-19 in different ways, at different times. We need to make decisions based off of what is happening in our region. Our doctors are closely monitoring the pandemic, responding appropriately and encouraging our patients to do the same. At Mountain View, we are committed to addressing our patients most urgent needs. Right now, patients in our community need us to perform surgery and treat their other medical needs. As local needs change so will our approach to care.
Hospitals are some of the cleanest environments in our community. We always follow strict sterilization protocols to limit the spread of germs, bacteria and viruses within the hospital. While the hospital is always clean, we’ve increased our sterilization efforts. Additionally, we are checking everyone’s temperature when they enter the building to ensure they are healthy and asking questions to check exposure risk to COVID-19. You can feel safe coming here for treatment.
Your well-being is of great importance to our team. If you have a surgery scheduled, we encourage you to speak with your doctor and make whatever decision is best for you. If you need to see a doctor to arrange a surgery, please reach out to one of our providers. They would be happy to discuss your health concerns and determine an appropriate treatment plan.
As we all know, the situation with COVID-19 is changing rapidly. Please know we are committed to keeping you informed. We will alert you as more information becomes available.
Thank you for trusting us with your health.
