Idaho hospitals RATION healthcare as state sees 60 new COVID-19 patients a day - higher than at any other point during the pandemic
Public health leaders in Idaho started rationing health care on Tuesday, as the state faces 1,000 new cases a day and record-high numbers of COVID-19 patients in hospitals.
Hospitals in the northern parts of the state have severe staffing shortages and few available beds due to a 'massive increase in patients with Covid,' the state health agency said.
Overall, the state is seeing about 60 new Covid patients a day, with about 500 patients currently hospitalized across Idaho.
On Monday, state leadership determined that all other potential measures to get new staff and beds had been exhausted. This is the first time in state history that Idaho has resorted to 'crisis standards of care.'
Just 40 percent of the state's residents are fully vaccinated, as of September 3. The situation in Idaho reflects challenges facing other states with low vaccination rates as the current Covid surge continues.
Idaho is facing massive increases in Covid patients, leading the state to ration care. Pictured: A nurse attends to a patient in the intensive care unit at St. Luke's Boise Medical Center in Boise, Idaho, September 7, 2021
About 500 patients are currently hospitalized with Covid in Idaho facilities, as of September 7
Idaho public health leaders announced Tuesday that they activated 'crisis standards of care' allowing health care rationing for the state's northern hospitals, as these facilities have more Covid patients than they can handle.
The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare enacted this change Tuesday morning, after health agency director Dave Jeppesen made the decision on Monday.
The state's Crisis Standards of Care Activation Advisory Committee determined that all other measures taken to help relieve staffing and bed shortages had been exhausted.
In its announcement, the health agency cited 'a severe shortage of staffing and available beds in the northern area of the state caused by a massive increase in patients with COVID-19 who require hospitalization.'
Idaho's Covid cases have shot up in recent weeks. The state saw about 1,000 new cases a day last week - its highest case rate since December 2020.
But the state's hospitalization numbers are higher than the winter surge, with about 60 new Covid patients entering hospitals a day.
As of September 1, more than 500 people were hospitalized with Covid across the state.
That number appears to have dipped in recent days - but the Labor Day holiday has impacted Covid reporting, meaning true patient numbers are likely higher.
About 40 percent of the state's residents are fully vaccinated, according to federal data.
That's one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country - the fourth lowest, after Alabama, Wyoming, and Mississippi.
This means Idaho is especially vulnerable to the Delta variant which has entirely taken over the U.S. - causing more than 99 percent of new cases nationwide.
The 'crisis standard of care' impacts ten hospitals and healthcare systems in the Idaho panhandle and north-central part of the state.
'Crisis standards of care is a last resort. It means we have exhausted our resources to the point that our healthcare systems are unable to provide the treatment and care we expect,' Idaho Department of Health and Welfare Director Dave Jeppesen said in a statement.
'This is a decision I was fervently hoping to avoid,' he added.
'The best tools we have to turn this around is for more people to get vaccinated and to wear masks indoors and in outdoor crowded public places.
'Please choose to get vaccinated as soon as possible - it is your very best protection against being hospitalized from COVID-19.'
The state is seeing about 60 new Covid patients a day. While numbers appear to have dropped in the past couple of days, this is likely a result of the Labor Day holiday slowing case reports
The crisis standard allows hospitals to reallocate resources, like intensive care unit rooms, to patients who are most likely to survive.
Other patients may be placed in hospital classrooms, conference rooms, or other spaces - and may go without certain lifesaving equipment.
Under the state's guidelines, patients are given priority scores based on a number of factors that impact their likelihood of surviving a health crisis.
Those deemed in most in need of care and most likely to benefit from it are put on priority lists for ICU beds and other key resources.
Others in dire need but with lower chances of surviving will be given 'comfort care' to help keep them pain-free, whether they succumb to their illnesses or recover.
Other patients with serious but not life-threatening medical problems will face delays in receiving care until resources are available.
If Idaho's current case rates continue, the state may see as many as 30,000 new cases a week by mid-September - making hospitals' situations even more dire.
Idaho's crisis designation allows hospitals to prioritize patients based on their likelihood of surviving a health crisis. Pictured: A nurse checks on a Covid patient in the ICU at St. Luke's Boise Medical Center, August 31, 2021
Idaho's crisis designation will remain in effect until there are enough resources - staff and beds - to take care of all patients, or a drop in the number of patients.
The state's hospitals have recently struggled to fill empty nursing, housekeeping and other health care positions.
Some staffers have left because they are burned out by the strain of the pandemic - while others have been quarantined because they were exposed to COVID-19.
Idaho Governor Brad Little called the move to limit care 'an unprecedented and unwanted point in the history of our state' and urged residents to get vaccinated against coronavirus.
'More Idahoans need to choose to receive the vaccine so we can minimize the spread of the disease and reduce the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations, many of which involve younger Idahoans and are preventable with safe and effective vaccines,' Little said.
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