Local hospitals remind public that their doors are still open

Jan. 20—Even though the current surge in COVID-19 cases has strained resources at Gritman Medical Center and Pullman Regional Hospital, both hospitals urge people to continue seeking care when they need it.

Local hospitals assess their available capacity on a daily and sometimes hourly basis during the pandemic.

Gritman spokesperson Peter Mundt said capacity depends on not just beds, but other factors like the availability of specialized equipment and medicine, too.

"There have been many moments throughout the course of the current surge where we were at capacity at the hospital," he said.

Gritman's ability to transfer patients to other hospitals also has been strained as hospitals across the Northwest are experiencing the same capacity problems. Mundt said Gritman's experts assess each patient's needs and begin the transfer process immediately if necessary.

Mundt emphasizes that despite these dilemmas, people should continue to seek the hospital's care if they need it, including emergency room services.

"We want the public to know that they need to come and seek out the care that they need when they need it and know that we're ready to help them," he said.

He said people can also access Gritman's walk-in clinic, QuickCARE, if they do not have serious symptoms. They can also set up a telehealth assessment.

Alison Weigley, Pullman Regional Hospital spokesperson, said in an email that the new wave of COVID-19 has increased the number of times hospital leaders come together to assess the hospital's capacity.

"As we see more sick patients come through our emergency department, we evaluate our ability to accept transfers and keep beds open so that we can care for our community," she said.

The omicron variant has not only affected beds, but the number of available staff members as well.

"People are central to the services we provide and yes, our staffing has been impacted — we do have staff out related to COVID-19, however — at this time, we are still able to continue all hospital services," she said.

Weigley said that despite staff absences, there is a high enough nurse-to-patient ratio that it can continue to provide care and accept transfers from other local hospitals.

Like Mundt, Weigley urged people to get the help they need.

"We are a safe place to get care," she said. "If you need care, get care. Don't delay your care."

Weigley also said the hospital still has a strong supply of testing resources at its COVID-19 Testing Center.

Whitman County Public Health reported 95 new cases of COVID-19, one new death and 18 additional hospitalizations in the county Wednesday.

There have been 7,132 confirmed cases, 335 hospitalizations and 84 deaths in Whitman County since the pandemic began. On Tuesday, the county reported a new single-day record of 170 cases.

Public Health — Idaho North Central District reported 83 new COVID-19 cases in Latah County on Wednesday.

The latest cases include 15 people under age 18, 35 people between ages 18 and 29, eight people in their 30s, 10 people in their 40s, four people in their 50s, seven people in their 60s, three people in their 70s and one person in their 90s.

There have been 4,965 confirmed cases, 406 probable cases and 42 deaths in Latah County since the start of the pandemic.

The Moscow Public Library's Repair Café scheduled for Sunday has been canceled because of rising cases of COVID-19 in Latah and Whitman counties. Check the library's Facebook page for future Repair Café event dates.