Alaska’s health department asked Monday that providers postpone non-urgent or elective procedures for the next three months “to decrease the overall impact on the Alaska health care structure,” the department said in a statement.
The recommendation comes from U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams and the American College of Surgeons.
“Given Alaska’s distances and limited health care capacity, it is especially important to open acute health care beds for anticipated COVID-19 care,” the statement said. “The state of Alaska believes that by delaying non emergent procedures, individuals will receive optimal care.”