ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The University of Rochester Medical Center will stop elective surgeries that require inpatient care beginning on Monday.

The decision was made based on Gov. Kathy Hochul's executive order requiring hospitals with less than 10% available inpatient capacity to postpone non-emergency procedures.

URMC says the hold on elective surgeries will allow it to maintain the capacity for acute care patients as COVID-19 cases rise across the Finger Lakes. The pause is scheduled for at least three weeks. 

The health system reports it has 110 active COVID-19 cases at Strong Memorial Hospital and 254 across the health system. 

One of the biggest issues the system says it is facing is the inability to discharge patients who no longer need inpatient care, but cannot return to nursing homes because those facilities have a lack of staff. As of the end of November, Strong Memorial Hospital has 44 patients classified as "alternative level care" and there are 98 such patients across the system.

Chief Medical Officer Dr. Michael Apostolakos says he knows the impact that canceling inpatient elective surgeries will have on people.

"My heart goes out to our patients, said Dr. Apostolakos, "What we believe medically may be safe to postpone for a week or two, to someone else it's going to be heart-wrenching for them. They want to know the results of the surgery. They want to know that it's taken care of and they want to get past it.'

Elective surgeries are those doctors say can safely be delayed three months or longer without risk.

If a patient's elective surgery is postponed, they will be contacted directly.