It’s feeling like a marathon of important meetings this week and it’s only Tuesday. @CDHidaho is up next with a meeting tonight at 5:15p. https://twitter.com/cdhidaho/status/1321195355401236484

Important context if you are watching
@CDHidaho: Treasure Valley may not be the hot spot now, but our hospitals are supporting small, rural hospitals at a breaking point. @StLukesHealth's Dr. Jim Souza said on a call today, "The cavalry is not coming over the hill. We are it."

Holy cow. Dr. Souza's talk to @CDHidaho. Speechless. I recorded it on my phone and will share shortly.

I’m going to share clips of @StLukesHealth’s Dr. Souza and what he shared with @CDHidaho.
1. Why it matters what’s happening in other counties outside Central District Health and how it impacts those of us here:

HOSPITALS ARE SHARING OUR ACCURATE DATA EVERY DAY. https://www.stlukesonline.org/health-services/service-groups/covid-resources/covid-data-and-reporting

2. In addition to #COVID19 patients, @StLukesHealth is also seeing record increases in heart conditions and strokes, and is could be related.

3. Utah has stopped accepting outside patients. Why that matters to Idaho: (Cavalry quote coming up.)

4. It’s not just about the number of beds available at our hospitals. Who will take care of these patients when health care workers are getting sick in our communities because of poor practices by others?

5. @StLukesHealth came VERY CLOSE to executing our next level of surge planning last week and opening an additional ICU space. You know why we didn’t? Sadly, some patients died and fortunately, some others of them were discharged.

6. We are prepared to turn our @StLukesHealth hospitals into COVID19 hospitals, if needed. The community needs to understand what that means for everyone else who needs health care.

7. This one hits home. @StLukesHealth #healthcareheroes are committed to caring for YOU no matter what, but they’re getting frustrated by what they’re seeing in our communities with people not wearing masks or physically distancing in safe ways. (This is longer, but important.)

8. “We do NOT need to shut down large segments of our economy and no one in health care who actually cares about health wants that.” Dr. Souza applauds @GovernorLittle and here’s why:

9. This is why @StLukesHealth in Boise does not and will not turn away patients from other Idaho counties, even if they don’t have the same strict COVID19 precaution measures as @CDHidaho. (Important Crisis Standards of Care explanation here.):

10. Really important point here about the impact on people if more “elective” surgeries have to be delayed to accommodate a crush of COVID19 patients. There are life and death consequences for people who need surgery:

11. Dr. Souza gave a good explanation of “Crisis Standards of Care.” This is when physician’s must choose who is treated for COVID19 in the hospital, who is sent home. PLEASE! Please don’t put this on our health care teams to make these decisions under order by @GovernorLittle:

12. Dr. Souza told @CDHidaho Board that @StLukesHealth’s forecasting shows within 2-3 weeks the health system will have a range of 120-160 COVID19+ patients. It’s more probable than not that St. Luke’s will need increased ICU capacity.

13. Despite the reality check tonight about the seriousness of what’s happening in our hospitals, @StLukesHealth’s Dr. Souza shared why he is optimistic that Idaho can and will turn this around for a third time. Please watch and take to heart:

14. COVID19 ICU admissions for @StLukesHealth are up even if @CDHidaho data doesn’t show that for Ada Co. They’re up in other communities and here’s how that impacts all of us. “We can’t think about this like we’re all in separate fish bowls.”

15. Talking about engaging younger people to slow the COVID19 spread: “They’re consuming a daily diet of social media fueled malarkey that it’s either a hoax or a nothing burger, and it is neither one of those things.”

16. Final video sums it all up well: How do we know masks really work? Look at what happened in Wood River in the beginning of this and what @StLukesHealth learned the hard way. Masks are good for keeping businesses open. Wear one in public.

(Thanks for hanging tight with me with the shakey video, kid whispers and dog barks. I was watching, posting and mom-ing while tweeting.)