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Health department deactivates crisis standards of care in Idaho

A nurse in scrubs dons PPE
Gustavo Sagrero
/
Boise State Public Radio
A nurse at North Canyon Medical Center dons PPE before going into the room of a COVID-19 patient.

Crisis Standards of Care were deactivated in Idaho Tuesday following improvements in health care staffing challenges and a blood supply shortage.

The rationing guidelines had been in place for three public health districts in southern Idaho — Southwest District Health, Central District Health and South Central District Health — for less than one month.

"Even though things are improving, the number of COVID-19 cases statewide and the testing percent positivity is still very high," said Idaho Department of Health and Welfare Director Dave Jeppesen in a press release. "Please continue to take the recommended precautions and get vaccinated and boosted, wear a mask in public, and stay home if you feel sick so those numbers keep trending in the right direction."

Jeppesen said the statewide positivity rate is 25% in a Tuesday media briefing, which is higher than at any point during last fall.

He said many health care systems around the state are in "contingency" standards, one level below "crisis." That means they're managing patient loads but are not quite back to normal operations.

Find reporter Rachel Cohen on Twitter @racheld_cohen

Copyright 2022 Boise State Public Radio

As the south-central Idaho reporter, I cover the Magic and Wood River valleys. I also enjoy writing about issues related to health and the environment.

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