Dignity Health is suspending elective surgeries at its Mercy hospitals in Bakersfield, Calif., to allocate resources to increased COVID-19 cases, according to KGET.
"To ensure that our facilities remain safe and we can continue to provide the care and services needed, we are temporarily suspending elective procedures at Mercy Downtown and Mercy Southwest," the system said in a statement.
Mercy Downtown and Mercy Southwest serve all of California's Kern County, which has 598 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. California as a whole is averaging 703 cases per 100,000 people.
It is unknown how long the suspension will be in place.
Becker's Hospital Review has reached out to Dignity for more information, including whether suspensions are in effect at other system hospitals in California. This report will be updated as more information is made available.