CHARLESTON, WV – Gov. Jim Justice has issued an Executive Order, outlining the process for hospitals across West Virginia to apply to resume elective medical procedures, provided that certain safety thresholds are met. The earliest hospitals will be able to restart elective medical procedures is Tuesday, April 28, 2020.
“One of the things we have to do to restart our state is to restart the elective medical procedures at our hospitals,” Gov. Justice said. “Hospitals will apply to DHHR for review. Then, from that point forward, we will decide ‘yes, you’re prepared’ or ‘no, you’re not.’”
Before elective medical procedures can resume, hospitals must have a plan in place to safely phase-in procedures based on clinical judgement, while following all CDC guidelines. They must also have adequate inventories of personal protective equipment (PPE) and a plan to respond if there is a surge of COVID-19 patients in the future.
The Governor’s order will give each hospital the discretion to determine the best time to restart elective medical procedures at their facility.
“We have to be satisfied that these hospitals are in a position to be able to protect our people,” Gov. Justice said. “That they have all the protective gear, they have all the supplies, they have everything. Then we will approve them restarting these elective medical procedures.”
Click here to view the Executive Order |