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Older New Jerseyans are still wary of going to the hospital for non-COVID-related treatments despite a steep decline in patients with the virus and numerous health and safety measures in place, the New Jersey Hospital Association found in a survey released Thursday.

Hospitals statewide continue to care for approximately 350,000 non-COVID-19 cases, such as life-saving surgeries, births, trauma services and emergency care. And COVID-19 admissions represented less than 5% of total patients in the state’s medical facilities as of September, down from an April peak that had 20% of the hospital beds filled up with COVID patients.

The NJHA‘s Health Attitudes survey was initiated as part of the “Get Care Now NJ” consumer awareness campaign, which educates residents on the safety and security of hospitals.

The survey found that 84% of New Jersey adults are either “extremely concerned” (23%), “very concerned” (27%), or “somewhat concerned” (34%) about the risk of contracting COVID-19 if they need to visit a hospital.

Elective surgeries for June and July were down 24% year over year.

Age is a factor in the degree of concern respondents have toward entering hospitals again, the survey found, with those 65 and older less concerned than those in the 50 to 64 age group, 43% and 54% respectively.

Since the onset of the pandemic, just 1 in 10 of survey respondents have received care in a hospital emergency room.

Two-thirds (66%) of respondents said they found comfort in hospitals allowing each patient to have one friend or family member visit during their hospital stay. At the height of the pandemic, visitation was not permitted, which caused added stress and anxiety for older populations, according to the NJHA.

Despite their wariness on returning to hospitals, respondents reported high levels of confidence in the safety measures that hospitals are taking, including testing of employees (83%), universal masking (80%), and separating staff to work with either COVID-19 or non-COVID-19 patients (79%).

“These findings confirm our concerns: that our state’s older residents have been delaying surgical procedures and potentially putting their health at risk,” noted NJHA President and CEO Cathy Bennett.

“New Jersey’s hospitals are ranked the eighth safest in the nation and we’re committed to educating our residents through Get Care Now NJ that our hospitals are safe and secure, with compassionate care delivered by our health care teams,” she said.

The survey was conducted online from Sept. 8 to Sept. 18 of more than 400 adults over the age of 50 by Bruno and Ridgway Research Associates on behalf of the NJHA.