BOISE, Idaho — Idaho medical leaders spoke out during a virtual press conference Tuesday to give a candid look at what hospitals are facing with surging COVID cases.
As cases continue to rise as the virus spreads uncontrollably in some areas, experts say the data speaks for itself.
“Extremely scary, extremely critical, and very worrisome,” said Dr. David Peterman, Primary Health Medical Group CEO. “We are headed into, I don’t know how else to say it, a very scary, very critical, very worrisome period where so many of the people who live in Ada and Canyon County and Twin Falls area are positive for coronavirus.”
The case counts and statistics are not just numbers being tracked by the state; they are now presenting very challenging scenarios for Idaho's medical personnel.
“Within our hospitals, capacity is eroding and the funnel is getting clogged,” said Dr. Jim Souza, St. Luke's Chief Medical Officer.
Idaho's COVID-19 timeline begins with exposures, then cases, then hospitalizations, then ICU hospitalizations, and tragically in some cases, death.
“As the community cases have surged we can see what’s coming," Souza said. "Overall, our intensive care units are running at 125 to 130% of their usual volume."
Dr. Steven Nemerson, Chief Clinical Officer at Saint Alphonsus, explains the current scenario his medical groups and others are in.
“We are not in crisis conditions yet, but we are very close,” Nemerson said. “We look at our ICU census which is full, we look at our in-patient census which is nearly full, and we realize that the only way that we are going to be able to continue to accommodate this increase with COVID volume is to make new spaces available in areas of clinical care that we don’t traditionally use and we’ve started to do that.”
Hospitals across Southern Idaho running out of space i, a serious and real issue right now, but there is another situation Idahoans should consider.
“It’s not just a matter of beds, just as important as beds is having healthy people to take care of the people in the beds,” Souza said. “Today, right now today, we have 108 people out sick with confirmed COVID. Almost 70 of those are clinical staff and the overwhelming majority of these cases are being acquired in the community where these folks live.”
The fear of not having enough staff or space has raised the question about diverting patients. At this point, there is a harsh reality.
“Where are we going to divert to?" Nemerson said. "We at Saint Alphonsus can’t divert to St. Luke's if they have no capacity. St. Lukes can’t divert to us and we can’t divert out of state because Utah, for instance, is experiencing a surge and is no longer accepting patients."
The medical community is worried about the effect on the health system beyond people affected by COVID-19.
“This is not just about COVID. I think part of the message we are sending today is about all other medical care and the fact that we are reaching the limit to provide that,” Nemerson said. “Even if you happen to catch COVID and would do well doesn’t mean that something else might not happen to you where you require the services of a hospital or the services of your doctor and you are going to want them ready and accessible.”
Following the governor’s decision to roll the state back to Stage 3, Idaho medical leaders hope local health districts will follow with actions. Regardless, the advice to the public on preventing the spread of COVID-19 remains the same.
“Wear your mask, that is the way we protect each other and protect our communities," Peterman said. “You have to wear your mask. I have to wear it, you have to wear it, and of course, we have to distance and wash our hands."
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