Elective Surgeries and Procedures Postponed at SMH
[New Tecumseth, ON – January 10, 2022] As directed by the province, Stevenson Memorial Hospital (SMH) has ramped down elective and non-urgent surgeries and procedures as of Jan. 5, 2022. Effective today, SMH is ramping down elective and non-urgent Diagnostic Imaging and Ambulatory Care services to accommodate current pandemic-related pressures related to staffing and bed capacity.
All patients with pre-booked surgeries or procedures that have been postponed will be contacted by the hospital or their physician’s office. If a patient has not been contacted, the procedure will go forward as planned.
At this time, SMH is asking individuals that have a requisition for a non-urgent diagnostic imaging procedures (i.e. X-Ray) to refrain from coming to the hospital for a walk-in procedure.
“We are taking direction from the Ministry of Health in ramping down our pre-scheduled surgical services and procedures during this difficult time,” says Jody Levac, President and CEO, SMH. “I know this is not the news many want to hear, but we need to ensure that our staffing and bed capacity stays as optimal as possible during a time of increased pressure with the onset of the Omicron variant. We will ramp our services back up as soon as it is possible to do so,” he adds.
SMH will continue with elective surgeries and procedures once approval is provided by the province. If any patient has a question about the status of their surgery, please call the physician/surgeon's office directly.
