IOWA CITY The day after state officials reported evidence of community spread of COVID-19 in Iowa, the University of Iowa Health Care implemented new adjustments to clinical services that include reducing the number of surgical cases and suspending certain clinics.

In an email to faculty and staff on Monday, UI Health Care officials said the Iowa City-based health system would adjust clinical services, effective immediately, through at least April 3. That follows a mutually agreed-upon decision among UI Health Care leaders and clinical department chairs and administrators.

Given this and other external factors, we must move forward on activating the clinical contingency plans as we face potential challenges with staffing and in conservation efforts of our medical supplies such as personal protective equipment, said an email from University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics Chief Executive Officer Suresh Gunasekaran and Dr. Doug Van Daele, executive director of the University of Iowa Physicians.

Starting Monday, the number of surgical cases in the operating rooms will be reduced.

According to the email, critical and emergency surgeries will take priority, but elective and non-urgent surgeries will be postponed.

In addition, UIHC has suspended a number of other clinics including its outreach clinics, the Wendell Johnson Speech and Hearing Center and its cardiac and pulmonary clinics for the next three weeks.

According to the systemwide email, the cardiac and pulmonary clinics temporarily have been halted due to the risk the clinics patients have to an infection such as COVID-19, the novel coronavirus that has infected more than 20 Iowans so far.

The College of Dentistry also is closing all faculty, student and resident clinics until April 3. Dental emergencies will be handed by the college, but all elective patient care including outreach clinics and activities during the three week period will cease, according to the universitys website.

Patients will be notified of appointment changes, according to the email.

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Other hospitals in the Iowa City and Cedar Rapids area are not following suit at this time, but officials at all facilities noted that could change quickly.

In Cedar Rapids, UnityPoint Health-St. Lukes has developed mitigation plans that include trigger points when the hospital will need to limit elective surgeries and other services. But as of Monday afternoon, as no cases of community spread in Linn County have been reported, St. Lukes is not activating these plans, spokeswoman Sarah Corizzo said.

Mercy Medical Center in Cedar Rapids also has not canceled elective surgeries or curtailed medical services, but spokeswoman Karen Vander Sanden noted that could change as the situation evolves.

Mercy Iowa City is not taking similar measures at this time, spokeswoman Margaret Reese said in an email Monday.

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University of Iowa Health Care reduces 'non-urgent' surgeries, certain clinics - The Gazette