ST. LOUIS — Hospital systems including BJC HealthCare, SSM Health, Mercy and St. Luke's announced Thursday that they will cancel all elective procedures, effective Monday.

The move is intended to protect patients and caregivers from the spread of the coronavirus, and conserve resources needed for COVID-19 patients.

The providers include BJC HealthCare and its partners at Washington University School of Medicine, Mercy, SSM Health and its partners at Saint Louis University School of Medicine, and St. Luke’s Hospital.

The hospital systems released a joint statement saying that "elective" care includes procedures that can be delayed for eight weeks or more without risk.

Patients who have scheduled elective procedures will be contacted by their providers.

On Wednesday the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced that all elective surgeries and non-essential medical, surgical and dental procedures should be delayed during the outbreak.

"The reality is clear and the stakes are high: we need to preserve personal protective equipment for those on the front lines of this fight," CMS Administrator Seema Verma said in a statement Wednesday.

St. Alexius Hospital, a 190-bed institution in south St. Louis, also canceled elective procedures earlier this week.

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