Minnesota Senator Carla Nelson (R-Rochester) today called for Gov. Tim Walz to rescind Executive Order 20-09, which prohibits medical facilities from performing inpatient and outpatient elective procedures.

“Today I am asking Gov. Walz to lift his executive order prohibiting elective procedures. I have no doubt his order was made in good faith, and I know that hospitals weighed in on the decision, but it is now time to allow medical institutions to determine on an individual basis if and how they can safely perform elective procedures. 

“The governor’s own COVID models suggest the peak is coming later this summer. If that is accurate, it is even more important that patients get the care they need now. Needless further delays in medical care will not only hurt patients but will further devastate hospitals and clinics that are already facing massive revenue losses, including Mayo Clinic and Olmsted Medical Center. The highest priority of these institutions is the health and safety of their patients and staff. We can trust them to take appropriate safety measures and still perform elective procedures and outpatient treatment without putting anyone’s health in jeopardy. 

“Health and safety must be our foremost concern. But if a policy devastates the institutions that are responsible for protecting our health, then that policy must be revisited.”