BOISE, Idaho — The Boise Veterans Administration Hospital will offer a limited amount of ICU and other hospital beds to civilian patients from other hospitals as the stranglehold of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to strain healthcare resources across the state.
Gov. Brad Little said that as of Monday night, there were only four adult ICU beds left unfilled across Idaho, adding that the state's health system was "teetering on the brink" of implementing crisis standards that could see hospital space, medicine, ventilators, and staff earmarked for only those deemed likeliest to live.
Adele Smith, Boise VA executive assistant to the associate director, said the hospital has agreed to take in non-veteran patients from other area hospitals in up to four ICU beds and five medical-surgical beds. The Boise VA currently has a total of ten ICU beds, plus one additional "flex" bed that can be used for intensive care, Smith said.
On Tuesday, only one civilian patient was in the VA hospital, Smith said, although that person was not intensive care. Any other transfers of critically sick patients from St. Luke's or Saint Alphonsus will have to wait: All of the Boise VA's ICU beds are now full too.
Smith said that VA administrators are staying "in close contact daily" with leaders of the other Treasure Valley hospitals, discussing admissions and individual patients.
"It's usually a day by day, case by case [basis,]" she said.
It is not unprecedented for the VA to help out non-military people, she said, including by carrying out COVID-19 testing and in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, but that has rarely involved admitting civilian patients.
Some at the VA are concerned about the practice "potentially taking a bed away from a veteran in need," Smith said.
"This is a very unique situation," she added.
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