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.”
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.
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.
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