Elective Surgeries Could Resume In Some Hudson Valley Counties

HUDSON VALLEY, NY — Some counties and hospitals without significant risk of a new coronavirus surge in the near term can resume elective outpatient treatments, provided they meet certain criteria. Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday at a news conference that hospitals will be able to resume performing elective outpatient treatments April 28 if the hospital capacity is over 25 percent for the county and if there have been fewer than 10 new hospitalizations of COVID-19 patients in the county over the past 10 days.

Cuomo said he will sign an executive order to that effect Wednesday.

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While Dutchess, Putnam, Sullivan and Ulster counties are among those eligible for elective surgeries, only Putnam County currently meets the criteria.

Restrictions on elective surgery will also remain in place for Orange, Rockland and Westchester counties.

The governor said if a hospital is located in a county eligible to resume elective outpatient treatments, but that hospital has a capacity under 25 percent or has had more than 10 new hospitalizations in the past 10 days, that hospital is not eligible to resume elective surgeries.

Further, if a county or hospital that has resumed elective surgery experiences a decrease in hospital capacity below the 25 percent threshold or an increase of 10 or more new hospitalizations of COVID-19 patients, elective surgeries must cease.

Patients must test negative for the new coronavirus prior to any elective outpatient treatment.

The State Department of Health will issue guidance on resuming elective surgeries.

John Nelson, spokesman for Nuvance Health, which operates Vassar Medical Center in Poughkeepsie, Northern Dutchess Hospital in Rhinebeck and Putnam Hospital in Carmel, as well as four hospitals in Connecticut, said they would continue working closely with the state and local health departments "as we re-evaluate our operations and plans for delivering care in a post-pandemic world."

While he wasn't able to provide the number of occupied beds, because it varies multiple times in a day, Nelson said, "One of the benefits of being part of a seven-hospital system is we are able to work together when it comes to needs for capacity, supplies, etc."

The state announced Wednesday there were 4,585 new confirmed cases of the new coronavirus, bringing the state total to 299,691. There were new cases in 46 counties.

Here are the county-by-county breakdowns for the Hudson Valley as reported Wednesday:

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