Health
Saint Alphonsus, St. Luke’s delay vaccination requirement deadlines
Idaho’s two largest hospital systems have paused a requirement that employees be vaccinated against COVID-19. “While we remain committed to our vaccine requirement policy, we are pausing the requirement for our Idaho colleagues only while crisis standards of care are activated,” said Mark Snider, communications director for Saint Alphonsus. The pause affects only Idaho-based Saint […]
Little, Wasden and other GOP leaders threaten suit over Biden COVID rule
Idaho Gov. Brad Little, Attorney General Lawrence Wasden and two Republican legislative leaders signed a letter Friday threatening legal action if President Joe Biden doesn’t repeal a new vaccine and COVID-19 testing rule for employers. The move isn’t a surprise in Idaho, where Little and Speaker of the Idaho House of Representatives Scott Bedke, R-Oakely, […]
Republican AGs urge Biden administration to give up on vaccine requirements
WASHINGTON — More than 20 Republican state attorneys general are threatening to sue the Biden administration over its mandate that large employers require their employees to either be vaccinated against the coronavirus or undergo weekly testing. In a Thursday letter, the 24 AGs pushed the administration to remove the requirement that would affect nearly 80 […]
Today in Idaho hospitals and COVID-19 (updated 9/17): Patients, ERs, ICUs
The day after Idaho officially moved into “crisis standards of care,” there were more than 700 people hospitalized with COVID-19. Those who needed ICU care reached a record high of nearly 190. Idaho Health and Welfare Director Dave Jeppesen on Labor Day activated “crisis standards of care” for the North Idaho region. He warned this […]
Inside an Idaho hospital on Thursday, a ‘slower rolling’ mass casualty event
There’s a 33-year-old man hospitalized in what used to be a cardiac ICU. Just like most of the other patients on this floor, he has COVID-19. He’s on his belly, unconscious, covered by a sheet. There is a breathing tube down his throat, and tubes in other places to drain bad fluids and deliver good […]
House Democrats roll out plan to expand Medicare, Medicaid and lower prescription drug costs
WASHINGTON — New Medicare benefits for older Americans, like dental care. An expansion of eligibility for Medicaid for low-income people in Republican-controlled states that have declined to take that step. And potentially an historic effort to rein in prescription drug prices — if congressional Democrats can work through objections from moderates in their party. The massive […]
Idaho is now in statewide mass-casualty triage mode, due to COVID surge
Halting procedures that put someone at significant risk of permanent disability or chronic health problems. Idahoans with low oxygen levels waiting four or more hours to be seen. Nurses with less time to monitor vital signs and paralysis. Health care workers using basic ventilation devices with no monitoring or sensing functions. Patients awaiting an intensive […]
Idaho health care workers don’t need sympathy. They need you to get vaccinated to stop this surge.
I am completing my medical residency training in Boise. After finishing medical school and earning MD or DO credentials, physicians continue training as residents in a specific area of focus, which allows us to practice medicine in a clinical setting with the support of attending physicians. I chose to become a doctor to help others. […]
Unable to keep up with contact tracing, southwest Idaho health district launches online self-reporting COVID tool
Southwest District Health, which covers six counties in Idaho, announced in a press release Wednesday that it has launched a new COVID-19 data collection tool for self-reporting since the district is unable to conduct contact tracing in a timely manner. The health district attempts to contact each person with a new positive case to learn […]
¿Qué significan las normas de atención en caso de crisis?
Las normas de atención de crisis se implementan en circunstancias extremas cuando hay más personas que necesitan atención médica que recursos disponibles para ayudar a todos. Esto establece un marco para que los trabajadores de la salud prioricen cómo usar los recursos y a quién ayudar primero. El plan “Idaho Crisis Standards of Care” se […]
Putting on pandemic pounds: State obesity rates hit all-time highs
WASHINGTON — The number of states with high obesity among residents has nearly doubled since 2018, according to new data Wednesday from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There were 16 states that had obesity rates among adult residents of at least 35% last year, with Iowa, Ohio, Delaware and Texas on that […]
Joe Biden’s ‘most egregious and tyrannical’ action may actually help GOP governors save lives
A convergence of three unsettling headlines appeared for my morning reading the day before the nation observed the 20-year commemoration of the tragic deaths of almost 3,000 Americans on Sept. 11, 2001. The very day of the remembrance ceremonies, the 7-day average for loss of American lives to the ongoing COVID-19 catastrophe was 1,666, as […]