Knoxville Hospital & Clinics (KHC) announced Thursday it has begun looking at the processes to resume non-essential surgeries and procedures across its campus in the upcoming weeks, in response to Gov. Reynolds’ proclamation.

Non-essential surgeries at KHC will begin May 4 for patients whose health may be negatively impacted by further delays and who meet the screening criteria.

According to CEO Kevin Kincaid, a governing task force of physicians, administration and anesthesia is reviewing all procedures each week. The task force is reviewing the hospital supply of available PPE, inpatient rooms, healthcare staff, and resources each day to verify that resuming additional procedures will not impact the ability for the organization to care for patients affected by COVID-19. In addition, hospital leaders are monitoring COVID-19 activity across the state and Marion County every day.

In addition to the task force, the medical director of each department is collaborating with the hospital to determine the process for reopening and additional precautions needed for infection prevention.