NASHVILLE - Below is a statement from THA President and CEO Wendy Long, M.D., regarding Governor Bill Lee's announcement that elective procedures can resume on May 1.

"Hospitals and healthcare workers are incredibly grateful for the actions taken by our state leaders as well as efforts made by Tennesseans every day to slow the spread of the virus. Thank you to everyone who has done their part to help flatten the curve. Because of these actions, Tennessee has not experienced patient surges beyond what our hospitals can handle.

Part of the response included the temporary suspension of elective procedures and hospitals willingly complied with those directives in order to support the public health emergency.

With the suspension of elective procedures set to expire at the end of the week, THA has worked with Tennessee hospitals and the state's Unified Command on a plan for resuming elective surgeries. The result has been the development of guidelines for a responsible, phased restart of elective procedures that allows hospitals to approach reentry in a manner that is most appropriate for their community and unique circumstances."