Thread by @StLukesAnita

A friend sent me this letter Idaho’s Lt. Governor and other leaders have signed against any action @CDHidaho might take tonight to protect our community.

Just a reminder that while some people may think that life just needs to continue as normal without taking steps to protect one another, there are people in Idaho DYING every day and exhausted #healthcareheroes sacrificing and doing everything they can to try to save others.

Thank you, @TransitGeekJoe.

In case you missed it, Dr. Jim Souza, @StLukesHealth's Chief Medical Officer, just told the @CDHidaho board the only reason Idaho's largest hospital didn't got on ICU divert this week was because of several DEATHS. Let that sink in.

You MUST go back and listen to Dr. Jim Souza talk to @CDHidaho and please share it with everyone you know in Idaho. I'll post it in piece a little later, but it should be playing on repeat everywhere. @StLukesHealth

.@SaintAlsHealth @StLukesHealth leaders told @CDHidaho: if measures aren’t put in place NOW & followed, Idaho hospitals will be under Crisis Standards of Care by end of year/early Jan. We are doing EVERYTHING we can not to get there. What are YOU and your neighbors doing to help?

Idaho friends: turn off Netflix & watch the recording of @CDHidaho’s meeting tonight. It’s critically important you know what’s happening in Treasure Valley #healthcare right now where #COVID19 is concerned. Meeting is still happening on YouTube, but start from the beginning.

I’ll start here with sharing some of Dr. Jim Souza’s testimony to @CDHidaho. First, he set up the current capacity situation for @StLukesHealth Treasure Valley hospitals where 85% of our #COVID19 patients are right now. It’s been an intense week.

“We’re keeping our neck at the water line. I want you to know, though, how fast we are treading water.” This is what’s happening inside @StLukesHealth hospitals every single day, all day as teams try to clear beds so new patients coming in have a place to be for their care.

“At this point we are definitely deploying what we would call contingency standards of care... in the past week we’ve boarded patients in our Emergency Department for extended periods of time. That’s a common place thing in big inner city hospitals, but we’ve never done that.”

🚨🚨 “We were this close to going on divert. We NEVER go on divert... we will move a mountain before we go on divert and what spared us were some unanticipated deaths.” 🚨🚨@StLukesHealth’s Dr Jim Souza talking about Tuesday night. 😔

“I’m really not exaggerating at this point when I say that if we had a couple of substantial outbreaks in good-sized long-term care facilities in our communities... that single event could push us to the limit.” And after Thanksgiving, it’s a risk that’s increased significantly.

“If I run out of beds at @StLukesHealth, & there’s even 1 bed at Kootenai, I’ll get a whirlybird, I’ll get a plane, I’ll put that person in a car if we have to move them.” Dr. Souza on all we will do to try & avoid Crisis Standards of Care that COULD be 2-4 weeks out. 😔

On our literal pleas for community’s help to slow the COVID-19 spread through masks, etc.: “I’m not telling anyone what to do. I’m literally pleading... I’m not too proud to beg. It saddens me this has become a debate... it’s not political and I’m not going to lean into that.”

Even Idaho’s two fierce health care competitors, @StLukesHealth and @SaintAlsHealth, have set all that aside to unite on this issue of #COVID19. “There is no us or them in the health care world anymore. We have banded together against a common enemy.”

SHOUT IT FROM EVERY ROOFTOP IN IDAHO: "There is no right or wrong, Republican or Democrat, urban or rural, religious or non-religious when it comes to #COVID19. There is one enemy: It’s the bug. And there is one victim: it’s humanity." -Dr. Jim Souza, @StLukesHealth

When capacities are tight right now, hospitals like @StLukesHealth and @SaintAlsHealth are now in constant contact to see if the other has beds open in case they need them.

Dr. Souza talks a bit more about Crisis Standards of Care here. To be clear, Idaho is NOT here yet & @StLukesHealth & others will do EVERYTHING we can to try to prevent this, but here’s a short overview. YOU have the power to help prevent this. If not, we COULD be 2-4 weeks away

Describing what it would be like under Crisis Standards: “As a physician who’s dealt with a lot of suffering and dying, I’ll be able to handle it. I don’t want to. It’s totally unnecessary, and I think our staff will fall apart when faced with that.” 😢

Revised draft @CDHidaho public health order is now available for review and written public comment: cdh.idaho.gov/about-boardofh… [cdh.idaho.gov] PLEASE take the time to comment in support, as commissioners mentioned the overwhelming amount against protections. It matters.

And if you want to catch up on or share tonight’s informative @CDHidaho meeting, you can watch the full video here: . #idahoCovid19

On what measures will help to slow the spread of COVID19 in our community: “All take anything we can get.”

#healthcareworkers are hurting. “They need to know their work is valued...it’s demoralizing beyond belief when they’re faced w/ a parallel universe that you’re somehow doing something that’s wrong or making up stories about a hoax...none of those people are part of a conspiracy.”

(I’ll... 🤦🏻‍♀️ It’s late.)