Williamson Medical Center announced on Friday that it will suspend all elective surgeries that would require an overnight stay starting July 21.
Elective surgeries are procedures that are pre-scheduled and non-urgent, and if postponed, would not threaten the life or overall health of the patient. The hospital will still handle all emergency and medically necessary procedures as normal.
The Franklin-based medical center first suspended elective surgeries near the beginning of the pandemic on March 16. On May 4, WMC resumed elective surgeries while maintaining a limited visitor policy.
On Monday, July 14, WMC staff said they had reached a "new peak" of COVID-19 patients, with the medical center treating 14 active patients at around 70% capacity. As of Friday, WMC is treating 21 COVID-19 patients, and is still at 70% capacity of beds utilized for COVID-19 patients.
Cases of the COVID-19 virus continue to surge across the state, with more than 2,200 Williamson County residents having contracted the virus at some point throughout the duration of the pandemic.