The hospital, formerly Central Texas Medical Center, is working to reschedule patients with their doctors, especially patients who have had to delay care for heart disease, cancer, pain and other health conditions, according to a release. The hospital said it is working to avoid the surge in illness and suffering that can result from deferred or delayed care.
“The medical interventions that have been deferred are often tied to a patient’s quality of life,” said Thomas McKinney, the president of Christus Santa Rosa Hospital-San Marcos, in the release. “In many cases, these medical procedures will improve the quality of life, reduce pain, or even help patients live longer. Because of that, it is important that we get these patients back under our care as quickly as possible.”
McKinney said the move back to elective procedures will be done with the safety of doctors, nurses, staff and patients coming first.
Some procedures in place the last few weeks will remain in effect, including:
- Limiting visitors
- Screening everyone to include temperature checks who comes through the doors
- Isolating coronavirus patients within the facility
- Requiring everyone on campus to wear masks; visitors and patients not showing signs or symptoms are encouraged to bring their own mask
- Using telemedicine to treat active coronavirus patients so caregivers and support staff may limit the number of times they enter their rooms
