Ten hospitals in north central Idaho and the panhandle have been authorized to operate under crisis standards of care since Monday, when Kootenai Health in Coeur d’Alene asked the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare for the designation after weeks of being overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients. The crisis standards of care designation allows hospitals to operate with higher nurse-to-patient ratios and helps providers determine the order in which patients get limited resources. It also means that some patients are being treated in makeshift patient care centers set up in classrooms or conference rooms. On Thursday, Idaho Department of Health and Welfare Director Dave Jeppesen told Idaho Reports that the rest of the state could see crisis standards of care very soon. Doctors from hospitals around the state told Idaho Reports they continue to see a wave of COVID-19 patients, most of them unvaccinated, and it is affecting their ability to care for other patients. If you missed our half-hour special, The Consequences of Crisis Care, you can catch it online at idahoptv.org/idahoreports.

This week, Kevin Richert of Idaho Education News joins us to discuss how the spread of the Delta variant has shaped the beginning of the fall semester for K-12 students in Idaho. But first, on Tuesday, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare announced it had declared crisis standards of care for north Idaho, as mostly unvaccinated patients have overwhelmed hospitals. The declaration affects ten hospitals from Grangeville to the Canadian border. We’ll have more on Thursday, when Idaho Reports is airing a half-hour special on the consequences of crisis standards of care, airing at 8 pm in both the Mountain and Pacific Time Zones on Idaho Public Television. You can also catch it online after it airs at idahoptv.org/idahoreports.

Hospital officials continue to implore Idahoans to get vaccinated as healthcare facilities are overwhelmed with unvaccinated COVID-19 patients. Staffing is stretched thin in hospitals throughout the state, and in the last week, the state has recorded more than 50 COVID-19 deaths, including multiple patients in their 20s, 30s and 40s. Nearly every ICU patient in Idaho is unvaccinated. But vaccine uptake is slowly rising, and this week, Idaho surpassed 1.5 million administered doses of the vaccine. 49 percent of eligible Idahoans ages 12 and older are fully vaccinated. Currently, the highest seven-day rolling average case rates are in north central Idaho, southwest Idaho, and Magic Valley. The statewide test positivity rate has risen to 14.2 percent. On Thursday, Idaho Reports is airing a second special on the statewide hospital crisis. The program will feature hospital representatives from around the state, and airs at 8 pm September 9th on Idaho Public Television.

This week, Logan Finney sat down with Idaho Capital Sun reporter Clark Corbin to preview the redistricting process that kicks off this week to draw new legislative and congressional district maps for future elections. But first, on Tuesday Gov. Brad Little announced the activation of up to 150 Idaho National Guard members to support health care facilities across the state, as hospitals are filled beyond capacity with unvaccinated COVID-19 patients. You can find more details, and Little’s full speech, on the Idaho Reports blog. On Thursday, September 9th, we’ll have a live special on “The Consequences of Crisis Care” with hospital representatives from around the state to update you on the COVID-19 surge, and the impacts it’s having on the delivery of healthcare services in every region of Idaho. Idaho Reports and the Idaho Capital Sun will follow this week’s redistricting meetings in detail, and future meetings as they’re announced.

Hospitals throughout the state continue to see record-breaking numbers of COVID-19 patients, many of whom are ending up in the intensive care units. Kootenai Health in Coeur d’Alene has converted a classroom to a patient care space, and could request the state to declare crisis standards of care within the next few days. Crisis standards of care are declared by the state only when a region’s healthcare system is depleted to the point where it cannot transfer patients elsewhere, nor can it provide healthcare services at a normal level. Other hospitals throughout Idaho say they may hit that point in the next couple of weeks. Nearly every ICU patient in Idaho is unvaccinated. Statewide, just 0.4 percent of vaccinated people have reported breakthrough cases, according to data from the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare. Currently, the highest seven-day rolling average case rates are in north central Idaho and Magic Valley. The statewide test positivity rate has risen to 13.2 percent, the highest it’s been since January. If you missed our live Idaho Reports special on the state’s hospital crisis, you can catch it online at www.idahoptv.org/idahoreports. Our next special airs Thursday, September 9th at 8pm on Idaho Public Television.

In this Idaho Reports special, we bring you the latest on the statewide hospital crisis caused by the recent surge in COVID-19 cases. We are joined by healthcare representatives from across Idaho, so no matter where you’re listening, you’ll find out what’s happening in your part of the state.

The Idaho Supreme Court issued an opinion Monday ruling that a bill passed by the Idaho Legislature on voter ballot initiatives is unconstitutional. The high court found that initiatives and referenda are fundamental rights under the Idaho Constitution, and that the new law was a grave infringement on those rights. Betsy Russell of the Idaho Press joins Ruth Brown to break down the history and unique aspects of the decision.

Idaho Department of Health and Welfare officials warned this week that hospitals are close to being overwhelmed by this current COVID-19 surge, which could lead to rationing of health care. To be clear, that could affect everyone seeking medical care in Idaho, not just those with COVID-19. The Division of Public Health warns Idaho is on track to see as many as 30,000 new cases a week by mid-October. Officials say the surge is being driven by unvaccinated Idahoans. Almost every single Idahoan in the ICU because of COVID-19 is unvaccinated. Unvaccinated Idahoans make up more than 98 percent of new cases across the state. Public health officials are imploring Idahoans to get vaccinated. The highest case rates in the state right now are in north central Idaho, in Lewis, Idaho, Clearwater, and Nez Perce Counties. The statewide test positivity rate is up to 12.8 percent. Idaho Reports is airing a live special on the state’s hospital crisis, Thursday night at 8 pm on Idaho Public Television. Tune in to hear the latest on the status of the state’s healthcare systems, and get some answers to questions about COVID-19 vaccines.

This week, Ruth Brown is joined by Idaho Department of Health and Welfare Director Dave Jeppesen and Administrative Director of Idaho Courts Sara Omundson. They discuss recent recommendations made by the Idaho Behavioral Health Council, existing needs in the state behavioral health system, and what it will take to implement the recommendations moving forward.

The current COVID-19 surge has, once again, stressed the state’s hospital system. Two of Idaho’s major hospitals, St. Luke’s in southern Idaho and Kootenai Health in Coeur d’Alene, have postponed non-emergency elective procedures that require overnight stays, and have reassigned nurses to help care for critically ill patients. COVID-19 ICU admissions are now at the same levels they were in November, and Dr. Jim Souza of St. Luke’s said this surge has the potential to be worse than what the state experienced in December, when Idaho came close to having to activate crisis standards of care. On Thursday, Gov. Brad Little implored Idahoans to get vaccinated to ease the strain on hospitals and to help ensure an uninterrupted school year for Idaho students. Since May 15, there have been 13 times as many COVID-19 hospitalizations and ten times as many deaths among unvaccinated people as there were in vaccinated people. The statewide positivity rate has risen to 12.8 percent, and the highest case rates were reported in Clearwater, Nez Perce, Twin Falls, Shoshone and Kootenai counties.