New Jersey will be able to resume elective surgeries hospitals, including Robert Wood Johnson in New Brunswick, as the coronavirus curve continues to flatten.

 

The decision from an executive order signed last week by Gov. Phil Murphy, allowing elective surgeries and invasive procedures to resume. This is for medical and dental facilities, which are encouraged to gradually resume a full scope of services under guidance from the Department of Health. RWJ says it's still going to prioritize essential procedures.

“Patients at greatest risk, time-sensitive essential, will be top of priority and we're going to fold in elective as time goes on, so we still have a priory, this isn't full cap yet,” says Dr. Stanley Trooskin, Chief Medical Officer of RWJ Hospital. “We want our staff, our facility, to be prepared as if we have two hospitals because we continue to have a volume of COVID-19 patients.

Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli says, “This is an important step forward for individuals who are battling an illness or are dealing with chronic pain as these surgeries are vital to their health and well-being."

The state Department of Health has issued guidelines, requiring that facilities comply with state and CDC guidelines to prevent COVID-19 spread, screen staff, enforce social distancing, require masks, use non-COVID care zones when possible, have a proper disinfecting plan, still be prepared for a potential COVID-19 resurgence, and if that's the case, be able to modify their care back to respond to a COVID-19 surge.

These elective procedures are not to be performed on any patients with COVID-19. Hospitals also need a downward trend of at least two weeks, and should also have available, and staffed ICU, critical care and medical surgical beds.

The hospital says over the past two and a half months, they've rescheduled more than 1000 surgeries.