Non-Emergency Surgery, Urgent Care, Clinics to Reopen
As its response to the COVID-19 pandemic evolves, JPS Health Network is pleased to announce changes that will make it easier for people to access traditional healthcare services.
- Effective immediately, the Psychiatric Emergency Center lobby has been reopened to receive patients with Behavioral Health needs.
- This week, JPS will reopen its Urgent Care Center in its usual location on the first floor of the Main Hospital Building at 1500 S. Main Street in Fort Worth.
- On May 26, surgeons will resume performing non-emergency operations
- On June 1, some neighborhood health clinics will resume normal operation.
While many vital services including emergency surgery, trauma care and cancer treatment have been ongoing over the past two months, Dr. Rick Miller, Chief of Surgery at JPS, said now is the time to expand to serve patients who need assistance ranging from an Urgent Care Center visit for cuts and scrapes to an operation to replace a degenerative knee or hip.
“We have a number of patients who been waiting for elective surgeries because of COVID, and it’s important that we start to get those taken care of before they become emergent and more complicated,” Miller said. “The older the cancelation, the sooner the patient will be scheduled.”
Miller said planning for the reopening of hospital services has been ongoing for a month and a half to develop procedures that will keep non-COVID patients safe.
According to Miller, Phase I of resuming non-emergency surgery will include only patients who are determined through screening to be low risk including no evidence of chronic lung disease, who require 120 minutes or less in the operating room and who do not require an inpatient stay after their procedure. Initially, a maximum of 110 operations will be performed a week. Phase II would include more complicated cases and Phase III will be the full return to a normal surgery schedule.
“This decision is a success for JPS, representing our ability to expand access even as we balance the ongoing needs of our COVID patients,” Dr. Michael Hochberg, Sr. Executive Vice President & Chief Clinical Officer, JPS Health Network, said. “The steps we have taken during these times, whether in regard to PPE or testing or screening or setting up COVID units are informed by science, data and most critically, safety for our patients, staff and community.”