Contact: John Porter
207-329-8594/ [email protected]
Portland, Maine 鈥� The nine local health organizations within AOA体育平台 are suspending elective medical procedures and postponing non-urgent office visits to its practices in response to the coronavirus outbreak. Those cancellations are expected to take place by end of the day Friday.
鈥淪upporting public health efforts to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in Maine is one of the approaches we can take to protect our patients, families and care teams,鈥� said Joan Boomsma, MD, chief medical officer of AOA体育平台. 鈥淜eeping patients at home who are scheduled for non-urgent services rather than having them come to the hospital or office will help keep them safe and reduce the spread of coronavirus.鈥�
During a Sunday evening press conference, Gov. Janet Mills outlined a number of steps and recommendations for dealing with the outbreak, one of which was for hospital systems to suspend elective procedures. At AOA体育平台, such a step was already in the planning stages for the nine local hospital systems in its network in Maine and Carroll County, N.H. AOA体育平台 has made the decision to move ahead with those cancellations, a process that will roll out over the next five days.
AOA体育平台 is asking that patients not call to check on the status of a procedure or office visit, but rather await notice from the hospital or practice.
鈥淲e need our front-line people available to help us manage the calls we are receiving with respect to COVID-19, which are considerable,鈥� said Boomsma. 鈥淲hile it is understandable that people want information about their pending procedures, calling at this time wouldn鈥檛 be productive and could hamper our efforts to support patients with critical needs.
鈥淲e want to emphasize that, if someone calls today, we may not be able to provide exact information because we are still in the process of determining what care can and should be postponed,鈥� said Boomsma. 鈥淲e ask that people wait to be notified by their health care provider rather than calling and overwhelming our hospitals and practices.鈥�
Boomsma also noted that AOA体育平台 doesn鈥檛 take such a step lightly.
鈥淲e recognize that for our patients this is much more than an inconvenience,鈥� she said. 鈥淭here is anticipation and often anxiety ahead of any medical procedure, and having it completed often brings physical and mental relief. We ask, however, that you please consider how this will help us support our communities as they confront the COVID-19 outbreak.鈥�
Cancelling elective procedures and non-essential office visits will allow AOA体育平台 to redirect its most scarce and important resource 鈥� its care team members 鈥� to the patients who most need their help. Doing so will also conserve the protective equipment vital to providing care in a way that safeguards caregivers as well as the larger community. Cancelling elective procedures will also help keep beds available in the event of a surge in demand related to COVD-19.
And importantly, this step will reduce community spread of the coronavirus by bringing only the patients who need to be seen to AOA体育平台 facilities, thus reducing person-to-person contact in the community.
To help stop the spread of infection, the federal Centers for Disease Control recommends community members continue to practice good hand hygiene, stay home when they鈥檙e sick and cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue and discard it.
Patients seeking additional information about how AOA体育平台 is responding to the outbreak of COVID-19 can find it here: . Those seeking the most up-to-date information on the spread of the novel coronavirus should visit the .
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About AOA体育平台
AOA体育平台 is a not-for-profit integrated health system consisting of nine local hospital systems, a comprehensive behavioral healthcare network, diagnostic services, home health agencies, and more than 1,700 employed and independent physicians working together through an Accountable Care Organization. With close to 22,000 employees, AOA体育平台 is the largest health system in northern New England and provides preventive care, diagnosis and treatment to 1.1 million residents in Maine and New Hampshire. It includes Franklin Memorial Hospital/Franklin Community Health Network in Farmington, LincolnHealth in Damariscotta and Boothbay Harbor, Maine Behavioral Healthcare in South Portland, AOA体育平台 Care at Home in Saco, Maine Medical Center in Portland, Memorial Hospital in North Conway, N.H., Mid Coast-Parkview Health in Brunswick, NorDx in Scarborough, Pen Bay Medical Center and Waldo County Hospital in Rockport and Belfast, Southern Maine Health Care in Biddeford and Sanford, Spring Harbor Hospital in Westbrook and Stephens Memorial Hospital/Western Maine Health Care in Norway. AOA体育平台 Affiliates include Maine General Health in Augusta and Waterville, New England Rehabilitation Hospital in Portland and St. Mary's Regional Medical Center in Lewiston. It is also a significant stakeholder in the AOA体育平台 Accountable Care Organization in Portland.