Journal file photo New Ulm Medical Center hospital and clinic will begin scheduling procedures that had been delayed during the COVID-19 shutdowns, starting next week.

NEW ULM — On Tuesday Governor Tim Walz lifted the suspension on elective surgeries and procedures in hospitals and next week New Ulm Medical Center will begin scheduling appointments that were put on hold at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

NUMC Human Resource Director Katie Sletta said the medical center will have the opportunity to open up for those waiting on procedures. There will be some conditions for which procedures will be prioritized. The plan is to ease into restarting programs.

“We won’t ramp back up to pre-COVID-19 levels right away,” Sletta said. As patients become more confident in returning, more procedures will be scheduled.

The lift on the restriction is not limited to elective surgeries, but also includes other medical procedures put off due to COVID-19. A significant amount of imagery work, such as x-rays and CT scans, were postponed and will be on schedule.

NUMC Director of Operations Carisa Buegler said radiology procedures will be significantly expanded on May 18. She said since COVID-19, NUMC’s imaging department has seen volume fall 40% to 50%.

Numerous mammograms and breast cancer screenings were deferred since the outbreak. An annual mammogram is a regular part of women’s health, but many of these procedures were rescheduled to reduce the number of people coming into NUMC.

Buegler said patients waiting to reschedule an appointment will be contacted. Additional procedures will be taken to keep patients separated. This includes asking patients to use different entrances. Patients are encouraged to call in advance before visiting NUMC.

Further instruction will be released on NUMC procedures in the coming week.

Sletta said NUMC is doing everything to make the medical center environment safe for patients to return.

“We’re grateful to expand back to this level,” she said. Many NUMC patients have been waiting on deferred procedures. “People have been categorizing things as essential or non-essential, but if you are a person waiting for surgery — it doesn’t feel non-essential.”