CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Health System to Resume Elective Surgeries April 22

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CHRISTUS Health will certify all of its Texas facilities to resume elective care, and CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Health System is preparing to resume elective procedures and surgeries on April 22, consistent with the provisions of the Governor Greg Abbot’s original order on April 17.

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Our facilities have secured the personal protective equipment (PPE) and excess capacity necessary to safely care for the full spectrum of medical conditions and patient needs that we have worked so hard to address in our communities for more than 150 years.

We are working with physicians now to reschedule their patients for medical and surgical procedures they were forced to postpone due to the initial order. While we all understand the reason that these procedures had to be postponed, waiting has imposed a hardship on many of these patients, as many can no longer delay care for heart disease, cancer, pain, vision problems and other conditions. We are working to avoid a surge in illness and suffering as a result of deferred and delayed care.

CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Sulphur Springs is expanding its surgery scheduling for patients’ convenience and to ensure it is ready to provide care that has been delayed.

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“Often, these procedures that have been delayed or deferred are related to quality of life issues in our patients in the community,” said Paul Harvey, Chief Executive Officer, CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Sulphur Springs. “Looking beyond just the present moment, quite a few of these procedures will even help patients live longer, healthier, happier lives. Getting patients who need these procedures back into the operating room as quickly as possible is so important, but we must ensure our patients, Associates and physicians are safe, above all. That’s how we’ve operated at CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Sulphur Springs since the very first day,” Harvey said.

CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Health System practices infection prevention every day. In addition, the CHRISTUS Health system is leading the Northeast Texas community, and the country, by recently announcing the rolling out antibody testing for some patients, Associates and physicians in its ministries. This new screening tool allows the hospital to test these groups for antibodies related to the COVID-19 virus, helping it to identify how each patient should receive care and how to keep its caregivers safe.

Not only that, but CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances has been steadily working and planning to continue providing necessary, non-COVID care to keep people safe and healthy. To keep all who enter our facilities safe, CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances continues to have these following precautions in place:

• Limiting visitors;
• Screening everyone who comes through our doors;
• Isolating COVID-19 patients to one area of the facility;
• Temperature checks at every shift change for Associates;
• Requiring everyone on our campuses to wear masks;
• Using telemedicine to treat active COVID-19 patients, so their caregivers and support staff limit the number of times they enter their rooms.

This may be an unprecedented time, but we have experienced many of these since CHRISTUS was founded 154 years ago. In fact, the first three Sisters who started the CHRISTUS ministry in Galveston faced an epidemic of Yellow Fever within the first six months of opening the very first hospital. Epidemics and tragedies have been part of CHRISTUS’ history, and so too has the resolve, after each of those challenges, to move on in love and service to those in need.

“CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Sulphur Springs is answering the call to help our community – today and tomorrow. In all that we do, we are devoted to keeping patients, their families, our caregivers and our Associates safe. And we are here when you need care. We are ready,” Harvey said.

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