Alaska, Idaho using crisis standards of care over COVID-19

[Green Man]

Filed Under:
COVID-19



Stephanie Soucheray | News Reporter | CIDRAP News


| Sep 15, 2021

https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2021/09/alaska-idaho-using-crisis-standards-care-over-covid-19



Alaska now joins Idaho in establishing crisis standards of care as its largest hospital is now prioritizing treatment to patients most likely to survive COVID-19 infections.
"While we are doing our utmost, we are no longer able to provide the standard of care to each and every patient who needs our help," Kristen Solana Walkinshaw, MD, chief of staff at Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage, wrote in a letter addressed to Alaskans and published yesterday.
"We have been forced within our hospital to implement crisis standards of care," Walkinshaw said. "We have been required to develop and enact policies and procedure to ration medical care and treatments, including dialysis and specialized ventilatory support.”
According to the Associated Press, at Providence, more than 30% of the adult patients who are hospitalized have tested positive. Statewide, 202 patients are hospitalized for COVID-19, including 33 on ventilators.
Last week, Idaho announced similar measures in the northern part of the state after it faced a deluge of COVID-19 cases due to the Delta (B1617.2) variant. Now, some hospitals in southern Idaho announced they will also be rationing care. Idaho has one of the lowest COVID-19 vaccination rates in the country.
According to the Washington Post, Idaho recorded a 44% average increase in COVID-19 deaths over the past week.
In total, the United States has reported 663,913 COVID-19 related deaths since the pandemic began, which means 1 out of every 500 Americanshas died from the novel virus.
Yesterday the country recorded 152,177 new cases, including 1,888 deaths, according to the New York Times.
More litigation around vaccine mandates

Today President Joe Biden met with executives from companies including Microsoft, Walgreens, and Walt Disney Co. to discuss his COVID-19 vaccination requirements for the private sector, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Biden stated last week that all companies with 100 or more employees need to mandate vaccines or testing. He has said the federal government would lead by example, and US Army officials said yesterday that all active duty soldiers are expected to be vaccinated by Dec 15, NBC Newsreports. Those who are not granted an exemption for legitimate medical, religious, or administrative reasons and continue to not comply with the mandate could be discharged or disciplined.
Biden also said any healthcare worker at a facility that accepts Medicaid or Medicare funding must also be vaccinated. But a federal judge yesterday temporarily blocked the state of New York from forcing medical workers to be vaccinated after a group of healthcare workers sued, according to CBS News. The state has until Sep 22 to respond to the lawsuit.
Kaiser Health News published a new report showing that in recent months 26 states, many Republican-led, have passed legislature that permanently weakens government authority to protect public health.
In 16 states, lawmakers have limited the ability of public health officials to make mask mandates, and at least 17 states have passed laws banning COVID vaccine mandates or passports.
Other US developments

• The Biden administration took steps this week to address monoclonal antibody shortages, taking over their distribution and buying 1.4 million more doses.
• A separate new Kaiser Family Foundation study finds that US COVID-19 hospitalizations cost $5.7 billion from June to August 2021.
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released a new toolkit for K-12 school administrators on how to respond to COVID cases

[lonewolfinoregon]

Yet you ignore the "FACTS" that there are more DEMOCAT states having COVID cases.

And the above story involves only ONE hospital in Alaska.

"Kaiser Health News published a new report showing that in recent months 26 states, many Republican-led, have passed legislature that permanently weakens government authority to protect public health.
In 16 states, lawmakers have limited the ability of public health officials to make mask mandates, and at least 17 states have passed laws banning COVID vaccine mandates or passports."

Key word is "MANY" so how many are DEMOCAT controlled?

Talk about "SPINNING WORDS" and spinning the "PROPOGANDA"!!

[lonewolfinoregon]

Also, you "NEVER" condemn DEMOCATS Governors, city leaders, House and Senate members that are violating your "COVID GODS" edicts.

Proves you "AGREE" with them not following your "COVID GOD EDICTS" and you believe only the so called "RIGHT" should follow the "EDICTS".

And you seem to not respond to all the EXEMPTIONS allowed under KING BIDENS edict.

[Green Man]

I wasn't condemning governors at all, not this time anyway.

Alaska now joins Idaho in establishing crisis standards of care as its largest hospital is now prioritizing treatment to patients most likely to survive COVID-19 infections.

That's the interesting part. Those who are getting the care are not necessarily the sickest ones but instead those most likely to survive when given the care. If you're too sick, you might be relegated to group C. That will unfortunately include mostly unvaccinated patients.

[jimmyb]

I wasn't condemning governors at all, not this time anyway.



That's the interesting part. Those who are getting the care are not necessarily the sickest ones but instead those most likely to survive when given the care. If you're too sick, you might be relegated to group C. That will unfortunately include mostly unvaccinated patients.

Yeah yeah yeah get vaccinated or your tallywacker will fall off.
Masks and vaccines are so effective they have almost eliminated COVID correct?
They’re not keeping the monoclonal antibody treatments from southern states getting hit with COVID now so they can supply them to Northern states when flu season hits and COVID goes wild there are they.

[Bear]

If they have them ivomectin they wouldn’t have any cases to report. That sure would suck for their agenda.

[jimmyb]

https://www.blacklistednews.com/arti...e-injured.html
Take the vaccine.I did it probably not again.They have had enough time to develop a conventional vaccine but aren’t even trying.Why is that..

[jimmythebee]

https://www.blacklistednews.com/arti...e-injured.html
Take the vaccine.I did it probably not again.They have had enough time to develop a conventional vaccine but aren’t even trying.Why is that..

Good article
There is little truth left in MSM,I'M SURPRISED these comments survived

[Green Man]

A misleading claim about Idaho’s hospital crisis has gone viral: The state is not under a ‘universal DNR’

Audrey Dutton, Idaho Capital Sun
September 19, 2021

https://www.rawstory.com/universal-dnr/

A claim that everyone in Idaho is now under a “do-not-resuscitate" order — that they won't be revived if their heart stops in the hospital — has gone viral on social media. But it's not true.

The state entered “crisis standards of care" last week, giving Idaho hospitals, nurses and doctors an ethical framework to help them make decisions about using scarce resources during the COVID-19 surge.

“We don't want people who are in need of emergent care to stay away from the hospital. If you're having chest pain (or) symptoms of a heart attack or stroke, my goodness, come to the hospital," he said.

St. Luke's Health System on Saturday addressed the claim on its own social media accounts.

People misinterpreted one piece of that guidance. Now, the misinformation is spreading. Prominent social media accounts have repeated it on Twitter, TikTok and Facebook.

Dr. Frank Johnson, St. Luke's Health System chief medical officer, worries that it might keep people from going to the hospital.

“To be clear, there is no 'universal DNR' at St. Luke's," the health system said on Twitter. “The state of Idaho includes a reference to 'universal DNR' in their Crisis Standards of Care Activation plan. The state's plan contemplates and provides guidance on a range of issues that provider organizations may or may not have a need to implement. St. Luke's does not include this element in our Crisis Standards of Care plan and our internal CSC steering committee has recommended against having such a policy. We understand area providers are taking a similar approach."
As with most misinformation, there is a grain of truth

The Idaho crisis standards of care plan includes in its guidance a section about what to do if, for example, there's a ventilator shortage. One part of that guidance addresses whether to try reviving adults whose hearts have stopped, even if they're not already on a ventilator.

Adult patients hospitalized during a public health emergency, when crisis standards of care have been declared (and a hospital is using the mechanical ventilation allocation framework due to demand for ventilators exceeding supply), should receive aggressive interventions; however, they should receive NO attempts at resuscitation (compressions, shocks or intubation if not yet intubated) in the event of cardiac arrest. The likelihood of survival after a cardiac arrest is extremely low for adult patients. As well, resuscitation poses significant risk to healthcare workers due to aerosolization of body fluids and uses large quantities of scarce resources such as staff time, personal protective equipment, and lifesaving medications, with minimal opportunity for benefit. This universal DNR order does not apply to pediatric patients; however, pediatric patients requiring a ventilator after resuscitation would enter the ventilator triage protocol after resuscitation, just like other patients needing ventilator access.

So in theory, it is possible that a person who goes into cardiac arrest could be allowed to die. But first, three things must happen:

• Crisis standards of care must be declared. That happened statewide on Thursday.
• Hospitals operating under crisis standards would have to include this “universal DNR" in their own plans. St. Luke's, which is Idaho's largest hospital system, does not currently have a universal DNR in its plan to deal with the COVID-19 crisis.
• And this is the “important part," says Johnson: A hospital must not have enough ventilators. The shortage must be significant enough for a hospital to be forced into using the “mechanical ventilation allocation framework." Johnson said that applies to “nobody I know in the state" at this point. St. Luke's still has enough ventilators, he said. Earlier this week, it was using 77 of 101 in its supply and recently placed orders for 20 more to arrive in the next couple of weeks, he said. “We're limited in staff, for sure, we're limited in space, for sure, but ventilators, we still have enough," he said.

It's also important to note that the state plan is a framework. It is meant to help hospitals make an impossible choice: decide who gets life-saving care when they don't have enough for everyone. It is not an order for hospitals or medical workers to withhold medical care when they can adequately provide it.
Johnson notes that the Idaho crisis standards plan doesn't apply to just this crisis. It is a framework developed for any overwhelming medical crisis — whether that's a pandemic, a natural disaster or a sudden mass casualty event.

St. Luke's and other hospitals are digging out older ventilators and requesting more to meet the demand from a growing number of COVID-19 patients. But they're not at a point where they need to stop doing CPR on patients, Johnson said. He says a “universal DNR" is more likely in an immediate crisis scenario.

“You've got Hurricane Katrina, all the power's out, the hospitals are flooded. … You have 30 people who need a ventilator in the ICU, and you only have 20 (ventilators)," he said.

Idaho is in crisis standards, which is very serious. And it was preventable; almost all hospitalized COVID-19 patients are unvaccinated.

Crisis standards could mean some people won't get life-saving care. It could mean that health care providers will have to decide which patient is most likely to be saved by one ventilator. But, at least for now, it doesn't mean every adult is marked “DNR."

Johnson provided the Sun with a document St. Luke's prepared Friday. It addresses DNRs and other questions about how St. Luke's is managing crisis standards.

St. Luke's crisis standards FAQ

[lonewolfinoregon]

I wasn't condemning governors at all, not this time anyway.



That's the interesting part. Those who are getting the care are not necessarily the sickest ones but instead those most likely to survive when given the care. If you're too sick, you might be relegated to group C. That will unfortunately include mostly unvaccinated patients.

You need to re-read my post if you can'

I posted you refuse to call out members of "YOUR PARTY" that violate your "COVID GOD EDICTS" yet you post story's that blame every COVID problem on "RED STATES" and "unvaccinated" and don't mention DEMOCAT controlled states that are worse than the "RED STATES"!!