Medical City Healthcare will suspend elective surgeries to prepare for a surge in COVID-19 patients, a spokesperson confirmed to Becker's.
The Dallas-based health system said the decision is in line with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's proclamations requiring hospitals in more than 100 counties to suspend elective care. To expand capacity and staff, Medical City will suspend elective surgeries at most of its hospitals from July 13-27. According to The Dallas Morning News, outpatient surgical centers, the children's hospital and the heart hospital are excluded from the ban.
"Medical City Healthcare is committed to maintaining readiness and PPE (personal protective equipment), preserving hospital inpatient capacity, protecting our workforce and our ability to provide high quality care for all of our patients," the system said in an emailed statement. "We continuously monitor and adjust our bed capacity, staffing, personal protective equipment (PPE), and supplies to meet our community's healthcare needs."
Medical City Healthcare has 16 hospitals and 14,500 employees in the Dallas-Fort Worth region.
As of July 12, Dallas County reported 33,800 COVID-19 cases and 451 deaths from COVID-19. Statewide, Texas is among five states that have set records for average daily COVID-19 deaths in the last week, according to The Washington Post.
Access Medical City Healthcare's latest COVID-19 updates here.