Advocate Sherman Hospital in Elgin has begun rescheduling elective surgeries in September, and it has nothing to do with COVID.
Rather, the hospital is citing a shortage of anesthesia providers as the reason it is either delaying or reassigning elective surgeries to its affiliate locations in Aurora.
In a statement to Fox Valley Magazine, a hospital spokesperson emphasized that non-elective procedures will not be affected by the shortage.
“The health and safety of our patients is our top priority. We will continue to provide care for urgent and emergent situations, and it is critical that patients seek care when needed. Labor and delivery services will continue without interruption. However, we are rescheduling less than 100 non-critical or elective procedures to other Advocate Aurora Health locations until Sep. 20 at the latest due to a shortage of anesthesia providers. This only impacts Advocate Sherman Hospital, no other Advocate hospitals are impacted at this time.”
Reporting in the Daily Herald suggests that the shortage of anesthesia providers is the result of corporate decision-making rather than any market disruptions.
The Herald article quotes Dr. Philip Lambruschi of Valley Plastic Surgery Center in West Dundee as saying “it’s an absolute disgrace.”
“Everybody was worried about big government taking over medicine and now big business has taken over medicine,” Lambruschi said in the article.
