Hospitals Cancel Some Surgeries Ahead of Sandy

The North Shore-LIJ Health System said Saturday that it is canceling elective surgeries and clinical appointments scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, as its 16 hospitals and other facilities prepare for the arrival of Hurricane Sandy.

Physician offices will remain open, but are rescheduling appointments until after the storm passes.

Dialysis patients with appointments for Monday and Tuesday are asked to come in this weekend instead to avoid travel during the storm.

Health system senior leaders and emergency preparedness staff meeting in Syosset said Saturday that there are no plans to evacuate any of its hospitals.

Several high-risk patients from Staten Island University Hospital (SIUH) and Southside Hospital in Bay Shore are expected to be transferred. Both hospitals are located in low-lying areas and were evacuated for Hurricane Irene last year.

North Shore-LIJ hospitals continue to discharge as many non-acute care patients as possible, in case its hospitals and long-term care centers need to accommodate patients from other facilities.

Employees who are scheduled to staff its patient care facilities from Monday through Wednesday were advised to be prepared to stay at their facilities beyond their regular shifts.

For periodic updates, patients and other consumers can go to the North Shore-LIJ web site (www.northshorelij.com),  the health system’s Facebook page or Twitter page: http://twitter.com/northshorelij.