Lakeland Regional Health cancels elective surgeries, Watson Clinic closes ahead of hurricane
LAKELAND — Lakeland's health care providers are canceling appointments and surgeries as Hurricane Ian brings rain and strong winds to Polk County.
Lakeland Regional Health announced it is canceling all elective surgeries at the medical center and closing all physician offices on Wednesday and Thursday. The health care provider's Urgent Care site will also be closed.
The medical center's Emergency Department will be open through the storm.
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"We have taken extensive precautions to ensure patients continue to receive the care they need during the forecasted weather event, including various staffing models, a well-equipped supply chain to provide necessities for patients and staff, as well as providing frequent communication with our community," said Timothy Boynton, LRH's senior vice president of development and chief communications officer, via email.
Watson Clinic has closed all its locations on Wednesday and Thursday.
"Every effort will be made to reschedule patient appointments that were to have taken place on these dates," read a press statement.
Sara-Megan Walsh can be reached at swalsh@theledger.com or 863-802-7545. Follow on Twitter @SaraWalshFl.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Lakeland Regional, Watson Clinic scale back operations ahead of storm
