DUBOIS – The number of coronavirus cases in Clearfield County has risen to 14 as of Wednesday, according to Penn Highlands Healthcare officials. Thus far, those patients are not hospitalized within PHH.
Overall, the healthcare network has conducted 1,143 tests for COVID-19; however, only 26—about two percent—have come back positive in the Penn Highlands region, which covers multiple counties, including Clearfield, Elk and Huntingdon.
The other big questions on the minds of residents is the furloughed employees, which was a result of the postponement of elective procedures, according to previous information provided by PHH.
Pennsylvania is allowing healthcare facilities to resume providing these services.
According to Dr. Russ Cameron, PHH’s chief medical officer, “We are working diligently to resume our pre-surgical screening and clearance processes at all of our hospitals as well as our surgery and endoscopy centers.
“We have sent updated guidelines and processes to all Penn Highlands physicians and surgeons on the steps we have to take in documenting surgical procedures to remain in accordance with the Department of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.”
However, that does not mean that furloughed employees will be returning to work anytime soon.
Mark Norman, chief operating officer of Penn Highlands, said, “We expect our volumes to return, but realistically we don’t anticipate our volumes to come back to the pre-COVID levels for many months.”