Springfield, IL -(Effingham Radio)- HSHS Illinois hospitals no longer require COVID-19 testing for scheduled procedures (surgery, GI, cath lab, interventional radiology, respiratory, etc.) on fully vaccinated patients.
Fully vaccinated is defined as a procedure date of at least two weeks after a single dose of Johnson & Johnson vaccine or two weeks after a second dose of Moderna or Pfizer vaccine.
Patients are required to show proof of vaccination. This proof can be via electronic health record if they received the vaccine at an HSHS facility or brought in day of procedure. Patients are made aware that if they arrive day of procedure without submitting proof or bringing their card, they will either need to be tested or the procedure will be cancelled, depending on the situation.
“As we start to return to normal in our daily lives, we are getting closer to resuming normal operations at our hospitals as well,” said Dr. Gurpreet Mander, chief physician executive at HSHS Illinois. “These updates to our pre-procedure testing policies represent a step in the right direction.”
As a reminder, all patients and visitors regardless of vaccination status are required by the CDC to continue masking in hospitals.
HSHS Illinois hospitals include St. John’s Hospital in Springfield, St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in O’Fallon, St. Mary’s Hospital in Decatur, St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital in Effingham, St. Francis Hospital in Litchfield, St. Joseph’s Hospital in Breese, Holy Family Hospital in Greenville, St. Joseph’s Hospital in Highland and Good Shepherd Hospital in Shelbyville.
If you are interested in scheduling COVID-19 vaccination or want to know more information, visit www.hshs.org/vaccine.
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