BOISE, Idaho — "Extremely scary, extremely critical, and very worrisome."
These are some of the terms used by Idaho healthcare workers when explaining the current COVID-19 situation in the Gem State.
For months, frontline healthcare workers have dealt with a collection of extra challenges.
Among these healthcare workers is Nancy Roberts, a respiratory therapist at St. Luke's. Roberts has spent months caring for Idahoans battling the symptoms of COVID-19. In recent weeks, that task has become more difficult.
“The cases have doubled that I’ve seen, even more so than doubled now with these 900 or 1,000 new cases a day. Even though it’s not in Ada County, that doesn’t mean it’s not going to trickle to our hospital,” Roberts said. “I am very concerned that we will see this lag of numbers that will turn into hospitalizations so it’s extremely concerning.”
For a while, operations at St. Luke’s in Boise were very manageable, but there is now concern as conditions are starting to change.
“It’s scary," Roberts said. "You’ve got to keep an eye on them and just watch and make sure that whatever turn they make you’re ready to help them through it and give them the best possible care that you can."
Because of the extensive personal protective equipment (PPE) worn by hospital staff, Roberts is personally comfortable working with COVID-19 patients. However, there is still a great risk posed to medical workers.
“My biggest worry is that I will take it home to my family,” Roberts said.
Roberts sees every day just how serious contracting COVID-19 can be.
“For some people, it’s just that shortness of breath. They walk to the bathroom and they are so short of breath that they just have to stop and wait or they are on that verge of having to have a tube down their throat and be put on a ventilator," Roberts said. "It’s very concerning because you don’t know what direction that patient may turn on you."
While hospital space is a growing concern, there are worries about having enough staff to care for patients. This week, St. Luke’s reported having over 100 people in all facilities out of work due to COVID-19 related reasons.
Potential staff shortages don’t just affect COVID-19 units, they impact care for everyone.
“Now with cold and flu season coming, it’s kind of like when is that storm going to hit," Roberts said. "So you are always kind of worried, what’s next."
With extensive equipment to protect hospital staff from getting the virus, it’s not the hospital environment medical professionals are worried about. They worry about the community.
Roberts is more worried about getting COVID-19 now than she was when the pandemic began in March.
“Just because of the public attitude about it. That it’s not real or it’s not going to hit me, it’s just like the flu or it’s just like a cold. It’s more than that. I don’t know why people don’t understand one death is one too many deaths,” Roberts said. “It’s real. It’s here. And just something as simple as wearing a mask for a little bit, hopefully, that’s all it would take. But we are not going to know because people won’t adhere to that. It’s frustrating.”
As Southern Idaho medical leaders have stated, if things don’t change soon the situation will become more and more critical heading into the winter months.
“I hope we can treat everyone that needs to be treated. I don’t want our physicians to have to make those decisions on who is sick enough to get treatment," Roberts said. "We want to provide treatment to our community, that’s our goal. So, it’s terrifying to me that someone would have to make that choice."
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