ELY- As COVID-19 continues to surge through this community, Ely-Bloomenson Community Hospital is halting elective surgical procedures, and the medical facility’s umbrella organization shifted to a virtual format for its annual meeting next week.
In a press release issued last week, EBCH announced that it is temporarily changing its model for surgical procedures:
“Scheduling for elective procedures is currently on hold through early December. Medically necessary surgeries will continue to be scheduled and move forward as needed.”
According to EBCH officials, they are following the lead of many other critical access hospitals (CAHs) that are also moving to a similar model because of the increase in COVID-19 cases in the area and across the state.
“We are monitoring the pandemic closely,” said EBCH Chief Nursing Officer Colin Yahnke. “We want to make responsible decisions and ensure that we have enough staff available to care for our patients. We expect these changes to be short-term.”
Changes to EBCH visitor protocols are also in effect due to the spike in local COVID-19 cases. For more information on visitor access at EBCH, call 218-365-3271.
The Ely Health and Hospital Foundation, the umbrella organization of Ely-Bloomenson Community Hospital opted last week to make changes to its annual meeting due to the COVID-19 surge, moving to a virtual meeting in place of the originally scheduled in-person meeting planned for Monday Dec. 6 at the Grand Ely Lodge.
“As healthcare leaders, this difficult decision was made with the health and well-being of our members, board, hospital staff, and our community in mind,” said EBCH CEO Patti Banks.
EBCH is notifying all foundation members of the change via letter. In addition, absentee ballots will be sent to all members who had not yet requested a ballot.
The Foundation Board will follow the Minnesota Nonprofit Corporation Act, Chapter 317A.447 to move forward with the 2021 election of board members. Members can request a link to the annual meeting by emailing ssaw@ebch.org. 
The slate of candidates for the board incudes Mary Ann Smith, Todd Heiman, Michael Pechek, and Barb Soderberg. The top two vote getters will be named to the board of directors.
To find the latest information on COVID-19, visit the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) or the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) websites.