Shenandoah Memorial Hospital has announced that it will discontinue after-hours surgery this month.

Effective Monday, patients who come to the Woodstock-based emergency department in the evening or on weekends and require immediate or emergency surgery will be transferred to another Valley Health facility, either Warren Memorial Hospital in Front Royal or Winchester Medical Center.

Travis Clark, vice president of operations at Shenandoah Memorial Hospital, said in a statement that this change had been discussed for many months because of the infrequency of overnight or weekend surgeries in Shenandoah County.

“Of the approximately 21,000 individuals treated in the SMH Emergency Department each year, less than 0.5%, or about 100 patients, have needed surgery after hours,” Clark said in the statement.

“If a patient’s condition changes and they need services that are not available at that hospital, it is standard practice to transfer them to the most appropriate facility. This is the case any time a patient needs a medical or surgical service that is not available at their current facility.”

Shenandoah Memorial will continue to perform urgent or emergent procedures during the daytime, he said on Wednesday.

Asked about potential wait times for medical transport, he said, “Patient transfers between facilities are prioritized based on patient need.”

Medical transport is billable to insurance “[i]f a patient requires services that are a medical necessity and not available at the originating facility,” he said.

In general, he said, all Valley Health facilities are reimbursed similarly for care by insurance companies.

“Transitioning to a weekday-only surgery program is an option we have considered previously, and now feel compelled to implement,” Clark said in the release.

The change comes as Valley Health “works to regain its pre-pandemic financial stability,” he said.

“[W]e must review infrequently used services, such as after-hours surgery,” he said in the release. “This change enables us to consolidate specialized staff to ensure that, as a regional system, we can continue to provide essential services and support those with growing demand. For example, SMH recently expanded CT and MRI services and completed a significant investment in facility improvements and employee compensation.”

The hospital’s weekday surgeries amount to about 1,900 annual cases across general, gynecologic, ophthalmologic, orthopedic and podiatric surgery, and also include endoscopy and pain management procedures, Clark said.

“It’s important to stress to our community that if they are experiencing a medical crisis, their best move is still to call 911 or get to the SMH emergency department, where they can be assessed, stabilized, and transported safely if needed,” he said.

Page Memorial Hospital in Luray, one of Valley Health’s six regional hospitals, switched to offering only scheduled outpatient surgeries more than 20 years ago, Clark said. The hospital has no on-call or emergency surgery on-site.

Financial struggles sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic also caused Valley Health to recently close its fitness centers in Woodstock, Front Royal and Berkeley Springs, West Virginia.

Page County’s fitness center closed in the fall after a fire in an adjacent store forced its temporary closure and Valley Health decided not to renew the lease.

Valley Health fitness centers remain open in Winchester and Romney, West Virginia.