‘We’re all stressed:’ East Idaho’s spike in coronavirus cases alarms hospitals, officials
Situated just a few blocks from each other in Idaho Falls are two of Eastern Idaho’s largest hospitals — the Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center and the recently opened Idaho Falls Community Hospital.
Both are facing the same problem: The steep rise in coronavirus cases is straining staff and resources, leaving hospitals in the region near capacity and workers exhausted. Some days the issue is a lack of beds, and on other days it’s a lack of personnel.
“All hospitals in Eastern Idaho are strained, and we’re all close to capacity,” said Richard Nathan, an infectious disease specialist with the Idaho Falls Community Hospital. “It’s not just one specific hospital, we’re all stressed.”
Statistics from Eastern Idaho Public Health show a gradual rise in hospitalizations within its boundaries, which consists of Custer, Lemhi, Clark, Jefferson, Fremont, Teton, Jefferson, Bonneville and Madison counties.
On Oct. 1, the district reported 24 people were actively hospitalized, and as of Wednesday, that number had grown to 36 — the highest number of hospitalizations there on a given day since the pandemic began. Since the coronavirus outbreak reached Idaho, 275 people have been hospitalized within the health district boundaries.
So far, hospitals have been able to keep up with demand. But some worry that could change if coronavirus cases in the region continue to spike, as has been the case in recent weeks.
In Madison County, for instance, home to Brigham Young University-Idaho, the Eastern Idaho Public Health district recorded 80 new confirmed cases Tuesday, bringing the countywide total to 1,445 infections — with 759 cases in the past two weeks.
Coleen Niemann, director of community relations at the Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center (EIRMC), said the area’s rise in hospitalizations has been distressing to say the least, especially given that it has seen a rise in trauma patients this year. The hospital is keeping up, but staff burnout is a big concern.
“We could have unlimited beds if we had unlimited staff,” Niemann told the Statesman. “The human capital is the most important thing.”
Hospital administrators in the eastern part of the state all told the Statesman that a lack of nursing staff is a major concern — a shortage felt not just in Idaho but across the country. Casey Jackman, chief operations officer for Idaho Falls Community Hospital, called the lack of nurses a big shortcoming for the facility as of now.
COVID-19 in Madison County
The Madison County seat of Rexburg has the highest rate of new coronavirus cases per day of any city in the country, according to the latest metrics from The New York Times. As of Wednesday, Rexburg has 129.4 new cases per 100,000 people. The next closest population area — Oshkosh-Neenah, Wisconsin — has 105.6 new cases per 100,000 people.
Most notably, Rexburg is the site of BYU-Idaho, typically home to more than 20,000 students. University officials put out an odd statement on Monday warning students against intentionally exposing themselves to the coronavirus, which causes the COVID-19 respiratory disease. The university said in a statement that administrators were “deeply troubled” upon hearing that students might be trying to catch the virus in order to sell blood plasma with COVID-19 antibodies.
According to an Oct. 7 report from EastIdahoNews.com, plasma centers in the area were offering more money for plasma donations from those who have recovered.
Madison County’s largest hospital has four ICU beds and eight ventilators. That hospital — the Madison Memorial Hospital — luckily had only one coronavirus patient in the ICU on Friday, Oct. 9, but had six coronavirus patients overall.
Doug McBride, the hospital’s executive director or business development, told the Statesman that the majority of coronavirus cases in Madison County have come from younger adults, meaning the number of hospitalizations has remained low despite an alarming increase in cases.
“We’re in a unique situation,” McBride said. “There’s a high number of COVID cases but a lower number of hospitalizations.”
Younger adults make up more coronavirus cases than any other age group within the Eastern Idaho Public Health boundaries, according to the health district’s metrics. Madison County’s addition of nearly 800 new confirmed cases in the past two weeks has included two days where the caseload exceeded 100.
As of Wednesday, BYU-Idaho has 119 active cases among students and 20 among employees. Students and faculty are asked to self-report coronavirus cases to the university. Administrators ask students to sign waivers to allow the health district to send positive results to the school, though the waiver is not mandatory.
When asked for an interview to further discuss the university’s handling of the coronavirus, a spokesperson referred the Statesman to official messaging and the school’s data dashboard.
“With the extensive communication regarding COVID-19, the university doesn’t have more to add to what has already been communicated,” the email read.
How coronavirus cases are being spread in Eastern Idaho
The rise in cases began in early September, just after Labor Day, according to James Corbett, community health division administrator for Eastern Idaho Public Health.
Dr. Christine Hahn, state epidemiologist for the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, pointed out to the Statesman that East Idaho had very few cases during the start of the pandemic in Idaho.
“To a certain extent, I wonder if part of this is that they’re just getting that first wave,” Hahn said.
School being back in session is another means of spreading the virus, but Corbett pointed toward something else: people not following health and safety protocols, such as physical distancing and wearing masks. As with other areas of Idaho, some cases are traced back to gatherings among family members, where masks are less likely to be worn and distancing recommendations ignored, Corbett said.
Hospital administrators said the public’s coronavirus fatigue is apparent, as fewer people are following the suggested guidelines to combat the spread of the virus, even though it is still raging in the state and poses major risks.
“Unfortunately, people are letting their frustration guide their judgment,” Jackman said.
Niemann said that now more than ever it is crucial for people to wear masks, physically distance, wash their hands and avoid gatherings. The coronavirus will continue to be a bigger problem until people act, and health professionals are just one of the groups that will feel its effects.
“We need to give our hospitals a fighting chance,” Niemann said. “These measures are not new, and it’s absolutely critical that we employ them.”
‘Tenuously optimistic’ at the hospitals
Hospital officials remain hopeful that the number of new cases will stabilize and decline, as the alternative is a frightening thought.
If hospitalizations skyrocket and E. Idaho facilities hit their critical mass, patients would need to be transferred — possibly to the Magic Valley, if there’s room, or areas of northern Utah. As of Wednesday, that hasn’t happened for hospitals in Idaho Falls, though smaller medical facilities have sent patients to them.
“It’s a scary proposition,” Jackman said. “It’s the last thing you want done, being sent to a hospital away from your loved ones ... hopefully we never get to that point.”
Jackman, though, stressed that hospitals will always take people in, and those in need of medical attention should not be afraid to seek help. If someone needs medical attention, they should get it right away and not wait for the situation to worsen.
“I’m tenuously optimistic going forward,” he said.
Health officials implore the public to take the coronavirus seriously. All counties but one within Eastern Idaho Public Health — Clark County — have mask mandates in place, and the district’s numbers suggest that those aren’t going away soon.
Jackman said continued spread would have an impact on everyone, including health care workers that need to be kept safe. He urged personal accountability.
“Everyone showed appreciation for health care workers back in March, and I think that was premature,” Jackman said. “I want people to be appreciative of what health care workers are doing now. We need to protect them now more than ever.”
This story was originally published October 15, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
