Hospitals in Iowa’s 2nd-largest city limiting procedures

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — Hospitals in Iowa’s second-largest city are limiting elective procedures because of increased numbers of patients driven partly by a surge in COVID-19 admissions. The Cedar Falls Gazette reports that both UnityPoint Health-St. Luke’s Hospital and Mercy Medical Center confirmed Friday their facilities are preserving capacity because of high patient counts in recent weeks. Cedar Rapids hospitals had not delayed or postponed elective surgeries and procedures since last fall. St. Luke’s is limiting surgeries that require a hospital stay to 10 per day. Mercy officials confirmed that it also is temporarily reducing the number of elective procedures that require hospital stays after surgery.