Loyola Medicine to Resume Medical Services and Elective Surgeries in May

MAYWOOD, IL— In accordance with guidelines set by the Illinois State Department of Public Health, Loyola Medicine hospitals will resume elective surgeries in phases beginning May 11 to provide care for patients.

Physician offices and clinics at the health system’s three hospitals—Loyola University Medical Center, Gottlieb Memorial Hospital and MacNeal Hospital—will resume operations on Monday, May 4, including in-person visits and continued use of telehealth video visits.

Elective surgeries and procedures will resume in phases throughout the month and beyond. Emergency services and surgeries and comprehensive cancer care have continued uninterrupted at Loyola Medicine hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“In line with our core value of safety, we are taking a thoughtful, phased approach to resuming select services, which includes following all U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) COVID-19 recommendations to ensure a safe environment for patients and colleagues,” said Loyola Medicine President and CEO Shawn P. Vincent. “Loyola has always cared for the sickest patients in Illinois and has continued to provide life-saving care,” he added. 

All patients undergoing an elective surgery or procedure will be tested for COVID-19 within 24 hours prior to the surgery or procedure. If the patient receives a negative test result, the surgery or procedure will continue as planned. If a patient receives a positive test result, the procedure will be postponed until a negative test result can be obtained.

Other enhancements to existing safety measures include:

1. A clear separation between patients confirmed to have COVID-19 from others in our hospitals and clinics.
2. Masks for patients, visitors, employees and physicians.
3. Adherence to CDC standards for facility deep cleaning with increased frequency and attention to surfaces that are frequently touched, like doorknobs and flat surfaces.
4. Continued visitor restrictions. One adult over age 18 can accompany pediatric patients and patients who are undergoing surgery or will receive anesthesia.

“If you are feeling sick, have a chronic or acute health need, we want to make sure you do not postpone care that is necessary for you to get healthy and stay well,” said Vincent. “And Loyola Medicine is committed to keeping you safe while you receive the medical care you need.”

“We have always and will continue to deliver safe, optimal and life-saving care, the hallmark of our academic health system, during this unprecedented health crisis,” said Vincent. “We look forward to seeing and caring for our returning patients.”

For an appointment, or to schedule a surgery, procedure or in-person visit, call 888-584-7888, or visit www.loyolamedicine.org.

About Loyola Medicine and Trinity Health

Loyola Medicine, a member of Trinity Health, is a quaternary care system based in Chicago’s western suburbs that includes Loyola University Medical Center (LUMC), Gottlieb Memorial Hospital, MacNeal Hospital and convenient locations offering primary and specialty care services from more than 1,800 physicians throughout Cook, Will and DuPage counties. LUMC is a 547-licensed-bed hospital in Maywood that includes the William G. & Mary A. Ryan Center for Heart & Vascular Medicine, the Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center, a Level 1 trauma center, Illinois’s largest burn center, a certified comprehensive stroke center and a children’s hospital. Having delivered compassionate care for more than 50 years, Loyola also trains the next generation of caregivers through its academic affiliation with Loyola University Chicago’s Stritch School of Medicine and Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing. Gottlieb is a 247-licensed-bed community hospital in Melrose Park with 180 physician offices, an adult day care program, the Gottlieb Center for Fitness, the Loyola Center for Metabolic Surgery and Bariatric Care and the Loyola Cancer Care & Research facility at the Marjorie G. Weinberg Cancer Center. MacNeal Hospital is a 374-licensed-bed teaching hospital in Berwyn with advanced inpatient and outpatient medical, surgical and psychiatric services, including acute rehabilitation, an inpatient skilled nursing facility and a 68-bed behavioral health program and community clinics. MacNeal has provided quality, patient-centered care to the near west suburbs since 1919. For more information, visit loyolamedicine.org.

Trinity Health is one of the largest multi-institutional Catholic health care delivery systems in the nation, serving diverse communities that include more than 30 million people across 22 states. Trinity Health includes 92 hospitals, as well as 106 continuing care locations that include PACE programs, senior living facilities, and home care and hospice services. Its continuing care programs provide nearly 2 million visits annually. Based in Livonia, Mich., and with annual operating revenues of $19.3 billion and assets of $27 billion, the organization returns $1.2 billion to its communities annually in the form of charity care and other community benefit programs. Trinity Health employs about 129,000 colleagues, including about 7,500 employed physicians and clinicians.

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