As California begins stages to revive an economy devastated by the effects of COVID-19, Valley Children’s Hospital has begun gradually phasing in scheduling appointments and non-emergency surgeries.
The move comes more than two months after a decision to limit access to the hospital for some elective, non-urgent and many ambulatory visits, a Valley Children’s news release said.
“We have been as thoughtful in rescheduling care for our children as we’re in responding to and preparing for this pandemic,” said Todd Suntrapak, Valley Children’s President and CEO.
“The only thing that has mattered to us since the outbreak of COVID-19 was the safety of our patients, their families and our physicians and staff.”
The hospital has taken precautions in the wake of the pandemic to ensure the safety of patients, their staff and staff members. All staff members are required to wear personal protective equipment (PPE) and the hospital has adopted a universal masking policy as well as observing social distancing guidelines and extensive cleaning throughout the day, all in the name of protecting the patients.
“We can never be too careful when it comes to the care of our kids,” said Dr. David Christensen, Valley Children’s senior vice president of medical affairs and chief physician executive. “We have taken a thoughtful, thorough and careful course of action from the very start of this pandemic and have always looked ahead to when we can safely and effectively begin to do more of what we have always done best – helping children heal.”