Winfield, Kan.-based William Newton Hospital canceled a surgery center opening ceremony scheduled for March 8 after the state confirmed its first case of COVID-19 and braced for a second, The Wichita Eagle reports.
WNH decided to post a virtual tour of the H. L. Snyder Medical Foundation Surgery Center on social media instead of hosting a grand opening ceremony, where U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., was slated to speak.
The cancellation was intended to limit possible exposure to the new coronavirus.
The H. L. Snyder Medical Foundation Surgery Center is the first of six phases in WNH's master facilities plan and capital campaign. Featuring an orthopedic operating room, pre- and postoperative care units, and a cardiac catheterization lab, the surgery center served its first patient Jan. 15, according to the Courier Traveler.
On March 7, Kansas confirmed one case of the coronavirus in Johnson County. A second case was suspected as of March 8 in Cowley County, where WNH is based. The suspected case is pending test results.