During the COVID-19 pandemic, the New Jersey Association of Ambulatory Surgery Centers has served as the liaison between the New Jersey Department of Health and all the state's ASCs — not just members, according to an Oct. 26 op-ed on NJBiz by NJAASC President Jeff Shanton.
Insights on the industry group's relief efforts:
1. In the first few months of the pandemic, NJAASC fielded hundreds of questions on everything from ASC testing requirements and personal protective equipment inventory, to reopening in compliance with state guidelines.
2. To help prepare for the event of supply shortages in hospitals, NJAASC rapidly provided the state health department information on the types and quantity of PPE stockpiled at New Jersey's roughly 320 ASCs.
3. Upon request, the NJAASC helped the health department formulate and revise an executive order pertaining to elective surgery and the resumption of elective procedures at ASCs.
4. NJAASC also helped enact revisions to testing criteria by collecting and presenting ASC testing data to the New Jersey Department of Health.
5. Since March, NJAASC has put out dozens of e-newsletters with COVID-19 updates for the state's ASCs. The latest "COVID E-Blast" details the governor's executive order establishing minimum standards for employee safety during the pandemic.