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Crowded hospitals
We need a regional COVID field hospital to handle the surge in COVID patients currently clogging our local hospitals. These patients who have chosen for whatever reason not to be vaccinated are now causing everyone else to sit in ER waiting rooms for hours on end waiting to see a doctor for non-COVID issues or not be able to get some important elective procedure. Just yesterday, my elderly sister sat in a wheelchair for nearly 11 hours along with many others in Sacred Heart’s ER waiting area before seeing a doctor. She was only at Sacred Heart because her ambulance was diverted from Deaconess due to their similar over-crowding. Kootenai Health is in the same boat. Our hospital staffs performed heroically during the pandemic before vaccinations were available. How many more COVID “waves” should they be expected to endure? How long should our communities be forced to accept substandard or inaccessible care because of the recklessness of those who downplay COVID’s seriousness.
Lynette Spengler
Post Falls