St. Louis-based BJC HealthCare will postpone some elective surgery cases at all 15 of its hospitals and ambulatory care settings starting Nov. 16, according to a Nov. 15 company announcement.
The elective surgery postponement is a result of a spike in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, BJC HealthCare said.
The surgery postponement will last eight weeks, according to local news station KMOV.
The latest announcement comes just one week after the health system started rescheduling nonemergency surgeries at four of its hospitals.
"We must take this drastic measure both to increase our hospital capacity and ensure we have the staff available to continue providing exceptional care for our patients. An available room means nothing if there is not a nurse at the bedside," BJC Healthcare President and CEO Richard J. Liekweg and Washington University Physicians CEO Paul Scheel Jr., MD, wrote in a joint statement.
Washington University Physicians is the medical group that helps staff some BJC HealthCare hospitals.