Stanford Children's Health to Resume Non-Emergency Procedures

Stanford Children's Health announced Friday that it would resume non-emergency medical procedures for the first time in six weeks.  

The hospital suspended non-essential procedures in mid-March as a result of the state's COVID-19 coronavirus shelter-in-place order. Operating room volume at Lucille Packard Children's Hospital Stanford is about 70% of pre-pandemic levels and growing, according to Stanford Children's Health.  

"We had to carefully evaluate scheduled procedures to determine whether they could be safely delayed for 30-plus days, since that was the definition of 'elective' included in the mandate," Stanford Children's Health Chief Medical Officer Dr. Dennis Lund said. 

With an anticipated surge in patient volume at Lucille Packard, Stanford Children's Health said its workers will continue practicing strict public health guidelines, including COVID-19 testing for all employees and patients, increased protective equipment standards and using telehealth tools when available.