© 2024 Wyoming Public Media
800-729-5897 | 307-766-4240
Wyoming Public Media is a service of the University of Wyoming
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Transmission & Streaming Disruptions
Stories, Stats, Impacts: Wyoming Public Media is here to keep you current on the news surrounding the coronavirus pandemic.

Hospitals Continue To Postpone Elective Surgeries For Seniors As States Reopen

Jafar Ahmed
/
Unsplash

The Mountain West News Bureau is taking questions from listeners across the region about the COVID-19 pandemic. If you have a question, email us at mountainwestnewsbureau@gmail.com or give us a call at 208-352-2079 and leave us a message. This service is powered by America Amplified, a public radio initiative.

As states begin relaxing state-at-home orders, some hospitals are opening their doors to elective surgeries once again. But some people are still being denied operations, including 69-year-old Deborah Larson of Ivins, Utah. She had a planned knee replacement surgery. 

"My knee gives out and I fall down and hurt myself," she says. 

But the operation was postponed this week by her hospital because she's over the age of 65.

"I would like to know where this policy came from and why they think all seniors are old, infirm and are going to get sick," she says. "Because that's not true."

Larson says she's healthy and active. But that doesn't necessarily mean she's protected from the virus. People 65 and older account for 80% of deaths from COVID-19 here in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They also have a one in three chance of becoming hospitalized, in part because our immune system weakens as we age.

That's why Larson's hospital is continuing to postpone elective surgeries for those 65 and older. A spokeswoman for Intermountain Health pointed to Utah state guidelines for phased reopening, which say that – at least for now – elective surgeries such as Larson's knee replacement should be for low-risk patients only. 

"While these changes may create challenging situations for some people, it is a necessary and appropriate step given the anticipated growth in the number of Utah cases of COVID-19," spokeswoman Erin Goff wrote in a statement. "We appreciate everyone's patience during this time that we're working to ensure the safety of our patients, caregivers and community."

This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, the O'Connor Center for the Rocky Mountain West in Montana, KUNC in Colorado, KUNM in New Mexico, with support from affiliate stations across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Copyright 2021 Boise State Public Radio News. To see more, visit Boise State Public Radio News.

Tags
Nate is UM School of Journalism reporter. He reads the news on Montana Public Radio three nights a week.
Nate Hegyi
Nate Hegyi is a reporter with the Mountain West News Bureau based at Yellowstone Public Radio. He earned an M.A. in Environmental Science and Natural Resource Journalism in 2016 and interned at NPR’s Morning Edition in 2014. In a prior life, he toured around the country in a band, lived in Texas for a spell, and once tried unsuccessfully to fly fish. You can reach Nate at nate@ypradio.org.
Related Content