IDAHO, USA — Idaho hospitals are reaching a breaking point with only 4 adult ICU beds open for the whole state. Now, local hospitals are calling for medical volunteers to help them care for a flood of new patients.
The most recent among them is Gritman Medical Center in Moscow, Idaho. Gritman currently has 23 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 and seven of those patients have been admitted in the last week. Over 60% of those currently hospitalized are unvaccinated.
Gritman is asking that area residents with medical experience volunteer to assist with their pandemic response. The state of Idaho has relaxed the relaxed licensing requirements for nurses, providers and pharmacists.
The relaxing of the requirements means that recently retired health care workers, former health care workers who have let their licenses lapse and health care workers with out-of-state licenses can be placed on the fast track to get approval.
Those who are interested in responding to the call can contact the Idaho Medical Reserve Corps at volunteeridaho.com and have their licensure application expedited.
While small hospitals like Gritman are struggling to keep up quality of care during this patient surge, a new grant is available to help with the financial burden being placed on medical facilities. The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare announced COVID-19 funding for hospitals, free-standing primary and urgent care clinics.
Hospitals and urgent care clinics in Idaho can start applying immediately for funds made available by Gov. Brad Little earlier in August. Hospitals can get up to $1,000 for every licensed bed. The funds can be used for relieving staffing shortages, paying overtime hours, paying for lodging for new or temporary staff.
The funding can also be used for acquiring space for monoclonal antibodies treatments centers.
Free-standing primary and urgent care clinics can apply for grant funding up to $400,000 relative to the size of the facility. Funding is determined by the number of patients seen in a year.
Small centers that see less than 2,500 patients can get up to $100,000, medium centers that see between 2,500-10,000 patients, large facilities that see more than 10,000 patients can receive the maximum of $400,000.
Idaho Gov. Brad Little activated hundreds of Idaho National Guard members and other personnel on Monday as the surge in COVID-19 cases - almost entirely among the unvaccinated - threaten to overwhelm the state's hospitals.
Little warned that Idaho's entire healthcare system is "teetering on the brink" of implementing crisis standards of care, where beds, nurses, ventilators and other care could be earmarked for those most likely to survive.
Up to 150 guardsmen will provide support for medical facilities, performing screenings, lab work, and other logistical duties that can help lift the burden on nurses and doctors. An additional 200 medical and administrative personnel will be made available to Idaho through a contract with the U.S. General Services Administration.
In addition to the guard members, a 20-person Department of Defense medical response team will be deployed to North Idaho, where vaccination rates are among the lowest in the state and hospitalizations are soaring.