This week, UPMC Passavant-Cranberry opened its operating room for more elective procedures in alignment with state and federal guidelines.

Susan Hoolahan, president of UPMC Passavant, said both Passavant facilities are following the same safety protocols as the rest of the UPMC network, including testing all patients who come in for procedures even if they're asymptomatic.

“It really allows us to safely resume surgical care for our patients while we protect our employees at the same time,” Hoolahan said.

Preventive health services are starting to be performed at the facility, including colonoscopies, joint replacements and cancer screenings. Medically necessary elective procedures — such as cancer diagnoses, tumor removal or coronary bypasses — have been performed through the pandemic.

Hoolahan said people should not be afraid of hospitals or medical facilities during COVID-19, and added she's seen patients who have unnecessarily delayed care.

“Delaying care for fear of coming into the hospital, at this point, is just not wise,” she added.