SUDBURY -- Officials with the Sault Area Hospital say they aim to resume elective surgeries June 9, part of a carefully laid out plan to slowly restore normal hospital operations.

In a news release Tuesday, the hospital said it has been working on a plan to restart services since they were suspended in March, as the magnitude of the COVID-19 pandemic became clear.

The easing of provincial restrictions this month allows them to put that plan into action.

“We are all looking forward to restoring services that have been paused for several weeks while we worked to protect our community from the risks of COVID-19,” Dr. Silvana Spadafora, chief of staff of Sault Area Hospital, is quoted as saying in a news release.

“We ask our community to please be patient while we take the steps necessary to allow a safe, slow and cautious approach to gradually resuming services.”

Their plan has been shared and approved regionally and reviewed by our SAH clinical teams, Algoma Public Health and regional health care system partners.

“The same detailed, collaborative approach in restoring postponed hospital services is being undertaken across our region,” Wendy Hansson, CEO Sault Area Hospital, said in the release. “From June 9, 2020, onward, we will monitor the situation daily within our hospital and community and formally compare our findings at least weekly as a region to determine if changes are necessary to our plan.”

Patients will be contacted directly regarding rescheduled surgeries and other appointments. Residents should not contact the hospital, but should wait to hear from their doctor's office. Virtual visits will continue as much as possible to support patient appointments.

“In developing a plan for the resumption of services, all hospitals are using an ethical framework designed by the Ontario government to prioritize patient care," Spadafora said in the release.

"Resuming scheduled hospital-based care for patients waiting for treatment has to be very carefully weighed with the overriding need to ensure Ontario hospitals can maintain the capacity to be ready for any surge in COVID-19 patients.”

Resumption of services will roll out in phases over the coming weeks as follows:

Phase 1: Will focus on the resumption of surgical and cardiac procedures and tests with the goal of reaching about 60 per cent of normal activity. Decisions regarding which cases will be rescheduled is based on an established priority.

Phase 2: Aims resume to about 75 per cent of the normal case activity. This increase will be reached by mid to late July.

"It’s important to note that the SAH may need to stay in a specific phase for several weeks at a time, or longer, or return to an earlier phase, depending on occupancy, personal protective equipment and drug supply status," the release said.

"SAH will continue to monitor and reassess this plan, in partnership with Algoma Public Health and our regional partners, on an ongoing basis, especially if there is a sudden surge in COVID-19 cases in the community."

Current COVID-19 policies and procedures, including visitor restrictions, remain in place. To find out more about SAH, click here