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Mercy Health to indefinitely suspend some elective procedures

Mercy Health-Youngstown will indefinitely suspend elective procedures that require an overnight hospital stay starting Thursday.

The decision, announced Monday by the healthcare provider, was made after “careful assessment and deliberation” as the viral pandemic continues to surge “to safeguard the health of our patients, associates and the communities we serve.”

The rule applies to all three of Mercy Health’s hospitals in the Mahoning Valley: St. Joseph Warren Hospital and St. Elizabeth hospitals in Youngstown and in Boardman. Mercy Health’s surgical center in Howland is solely for outpatient procedures.

In addition, Mercy Health continues to implement safety protocols for patient, staff and public safety. They include temporarily reducing the number of entry points to facilities, visitor restrictions, social distancing guidelines and personal protective equipment employee guidelines that include “wearing masks in all settings,” according to the health care system.

Across the state, more than 4,300 people are in the hospital with COVID-19 related symptoms, a 59 percent increase from just two weeks ago. That figure includes more than 1,000 on intensive care units and more than 570 on ventilators, according to state Health Department data.

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