As Gov. Kim Reynolds defended her decision to reopen parts of Iowa, she said University of Iowa leaders, including President Bruce Harreld, were involved in the decision to reinstate elective surgeries in the state. 

At a Wednesday press conference, Reynolds said she spoke with Harreld, UI Hospitals and Clinics CEO Suresh Gunasekaren, and UI Vice President for Medical Affairs Brooks Jackson, and that the UI executives said they felt UIHC was ready to resume elective surgeries and procedures. 

“They made a case why they felt they were at a place, with responsible measures put in place, to bring back elective procedures,” Reynolds said. 

Elective medical and dental procedures in the state were allowed to resume Monday. 

UIHC Chief Medical Officer Theresa Brennan said at a press conference Tuesday the health-care enterprise had an appropriate amount of gear to resume elective surgeries for now. All employees interacting with patients are wearing both a hospital-grade mask and a clear plastic face shield.

“We are beginning to coordinate a ramp up in these surgeries. This requires a lot of coordination. We will be working patients, we will be doing pre-surgical screenings including COVID testing, making sure that our staff are all available.. and we’re looking at the number of procedures that we can do safely and that we have hospital beds for. Most important, we will maintain the PPE needed to protect our staff during this time.

Gunasekaran had told the state Board of Regents April 1, weeks before the state approached its projected peak number of coronavirus cases, that he didn’t want the staff to have to ration its protective gear and resources.

“Today (April 1), and this week, are not the worst week that we are going to face,” Gunasekaran said. “So we have to go into a [personal protective equipment] conservation model … but I do feel as though we are doing our best and are definitely beating industry standards for safety and our staff.”

Reynolds announced Monday that in 77 counties where the rates of infection were beginning to decline, restaurants, fitness centers, and retail centers can open at 50 percent capacity on May 1. 

RELATED: Researchers at the UI concluded that a second wave of COVID-19 is likely if the state slows mitigation efforts

Johnson County is not one of the counties permitted to reopen. 

Reynolds announced 467 new positive cases in Iowa. 93 percent of the positive cases announced Wednesday are from the 22 counties where restrictions remain in place. 

A report made public yesterday from the UI College of Public Health concluded that if COVID-19 mitigation measures in Iowa are slowed, there will likely be a second wave of infections. 

Reynolds said the reopening of the state was a balance between saving lives and protecting livelihoods. 

“When we look at our unemployment claims, when we look at the increased food security, when we’re looking at the increased mental health concerns that we’re having, and from substance abuse to domestic abuse, there are a lot of criteria that goes into the decisions that are being made,” Reynolds said.