Two local major hospital systems are making changes to help cope with the impact of the coronavirus.
Rochester Regional Health says it will join leading health systems around the world to proactively reschedule elective surgeries as the COVID-19 outbreak continues to evolve.
Officials said that those elective surgeries at all RRH facilities will be rescheduled beginning Monday, March 16 and continuing through March 29. RRH says that the time frame may change as it continues to monitor developments.
A statement released Sunday by the health system says the decision was guided by the recommendations of the American College of Surgeons and the United States Surgeon General.
Patients are being contacted to reschedule their procedures to a later date.
At the University of Rochester Medical Center, UR Medicine announced that it has begun to reschedule some patient appointments and redeploy resources. Physicians and clinic offices will contact some patients to reschedule appointments and surgeries, or to offer alternative care, such as a telephone consult or video telemedince for patients who do not need to be seen in person.
