New York State Department of Health Updates List of Impacted Hospitals and Regions Due to Limited Staffed Patient Bed Capacity as Determined by Executive Order

40 hospitals across New York State must stop non-essential, non-urgent elective procedures for a minimum of two weeks

This includes all hospitals in Mohawk Valley, Finger Lakes, and Central NY regions

ALBANY, N.Y. (January 8, 2022) - The New York State Department of Health updated the impacted hospital determination list to include 40 hospitals that have been notified to stop non-essential non-urgent elective surgeries after having met the state's threshold for "high risk regions" or low capacity facilities. On November 26, in preparation for the anticipated COVID-19 winter surge, Governor Hochul signed an Executive Order to ensure hospital capacity statewide is able to meet regional needs while maintaining the long-term resiliency of the State's healthcare infrastructure. The order also enables New York State to quickly acquire and distribute critical supplies to combat the pandemic. The Department issued related Guidance to hospitals on December 3.

"We will use every available tool to help ensure that hospitals can manage the COVID-19 winter surge," said Acting State Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett. "I want to remind New Yorkers that getting vaccinated and boosted remain the best way to protect against serious illness and hospitalization from COVID-19. Vaccination also protects our hospital system. We cannot return to the early months of the pandemic when hospitals were overwhelmed."

Based on the weekly assessment conducted by the Department, the following facilities must stop performing in-hospital elective surgery. If their occupancy is above 95%, they are additionally required to stop elective surgeries at hospital-owned ambulatory surgical centers for a minimum of two weeks. Note that in addition, due to the increasing COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in three regions (Mohawk, Finger Lakes and Central), all hospitals in those regions are being included on the Impacted List.

Mohawk Valley Region:

  • Faxton-St Luke's Healthcare St Luke's Division
  • Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital
  • St. Mary's Healthcare
  • A.O. Fox Memorial Hospital
  • Cobleskill Regional Hospital
  • Little Falls Hospital
  • Nathan Littauer Hospital
  • Rome Memorial Hospital, Inc
  • St Elizabeth Medical Center
  • St. Mary's Healthcare - Amsterdam Memorial Campus

Finger Lakes Region:

  • F.F. Thompson Hospital
  • Geneva General Hospital
  • Newark-Wayne Community Hospital
  • Rochester General Hospital
  • The Unity Hospital of Rochester
  • United Memorial Medical Center North Street Campus
  • Clifton Springs Hospital and Clinic
  • Highland Hospital
  • Medina Memorial Hospital
  • Nicholas H. Noyes Memorial Hospital
  • Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hospital of Yates County Inc
  • Strong Memorial Hospital
  • Wyoming County Community Hospital

Central New York Region:

  • Crouse Hospital
  • Oneida Health Hospital
  • Oswego Hospital
  • St. Joseph's Hospital Health Center
  • University Hospital SUNY Health Science Center
  • UPSTATE University Hospital at Community General
  • Auburn Community Hospital
  • Community Memorial Hospital Inc
  • Guthrie Cortland Medical Center

Impacted Hospitals in Other Regions:

  • Brooks-TLC Hospital System, Inc.
  • Mount St Mary's Hospital and Health Center
  • Erie County Medical Center
  • Mercy Hospital of Buffalo
  • Sisters of Charity Hospital
  • The University of Vermont Health Network - Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital
  • Bertrand Chaffee Hospital
  • Olean General Hospital

Since Monday, December 13, data that is self-reported by facilities through HERDS (Health Electronic Response Data System) is reviewed and assessed weekly by the Department and impacted facilities are notified on Fridays that procedure limitations will take affect the following Thursday.

Criteria used to determine "high risk regions" includes low current regional bed capacity with 90% or more beds occupied based on the previous 7-day average; or 85-90% occupancy rate based on the previous 7-day average AND a new COVID-19 hospital admission rate for the region (previous 7-day average per 100,000 population) greater than 4%. The Department also retains the discretion to require any facility or region to limit non-essential elective procedures and/or implement other actions to coordinate services, as determined by DOH as necessary to protect public health.

The following procedures are considered essential and not covered under the Executive Order: cancer (including diagnostic procedure of suspected cancer), neurosurgery, intractable pain, highly symptomatic patients, transplants, trauma, cardiac with symptoms, limb threatening vascular procedures, dialysis vascular access, and patients that are at a clinically high risk of harm if their procedures are not completed.