News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Fiona Libsack, chief development officer
libsackf@gphealth.org | Phone: 308.660.6658
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March 30, 2020 – North Platte, Neb. Great Plains Health and North Platte Surgery Center announced today that it will suspend all elective, non-urgent surgeries until May 1. This date is subject to change as the organization’s medical staff and executive leaders learn more about the impact of COVID-19 in the area.

Elective surgeries are defined as those surgeries which can be postponed for 90 days without significantly impacting the health and well-being of the patient, as determined by the surgeon using general guidelines set forth by the American College of Surgeons and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

“Protecting the health and safety of our patients and healthcare workers is always our most important priority,” said Ivan Mitchell, GPHealth chief operating officer. “Our second priority as we navigate through this unchartered territory is to ensure our health system has the necessary supplies required of us when a COVID-19 surge occurs in our region.”

Mitchell emphasized that temporarily suspending elective surgeries helps preserve much-needed personal protective equipment and inpatient beds as well.

He noted that Great Plains Health is still open for emergency cases such as trauma, cardiac, time-sensitive concerns and other life-critical surgical interventions.”

The North Platte Surgery Center will be closed from April 1 until tentatively May 1, a date that will depend on the rate of escalation in the weeks ahead, said Leslie Voigt, North Platte Surgery Center administrator.

As another safety measure, GPHealth recently enhanced its visitor restrictions by not allowing visitors into its hospital or clinics, unless they meet the following criteria:

One symptom-free support person who has not traveled out-of-state will be allowed in the following areas:

• Active labor and delivery patient
• NICU patient
• Pediatrics patient
• Surgery patients
• Emergency department patients (only if needed)

“We are ensuring that Skype technology is offered to our visitors as an alternative way to be with their loved one during this time,” said Mitchell.

Other closures at GPHealth include:

• The GPHealth sleep lab
• GPHealth Home Medical Equipment, but will have staff available by phone for emergent needs
• The GPHealth cardiac rehab