They're called heroes for a reason

Forty-three thousand.

That's about how many cars have driven through the Kootenai Health COVID-19 drive-thru testing since March 11.

Before COVID-19, the little blue building in the back of the Kootenai Health hospital was vacant and almost to the point of disrepair, said Johan Weinshiem, Executive Vice President for Kootenai Clinic.

Today it's home to a specialized team of lab assistants, certified nurses, and medical assistants who work day in and day out to serve the Inland Northwest.

Lori Ritchart, the clinic supervisor, has been there since the beginning. She's seen the supply shortages, the rotating personnel, the rising numbers, and thousands of cars.

"We did 464 cars yesterday. That's our new normal," Ritchart said Wednesday. "We don't have a day that is below 250 anymore."

When the testing site opened, an average busy day was about 100 patients, she said. Now it's maybe 250 on a slow day like Saturday and Sunday, when the building closes early.

"On the weekdays, we are averaging 400 to 600," Ritchart said. "We get clients from everywhere. We are testing all of Kootenai's clinics. We are even testing some of the local doctors' offices in town."

Outside swabbers are dressed head-to-toe in personal protective gear. Their uniform for the last eight months has changed slightly based on supplies. Still, all four on duty Wednesday morning donned N-95 masks with procedural masks layered on top, gloves, gowns, and face shields, or N-99 helmets.

On a typical day, testing center staff are welcomed to work by a river of headlights leading around the hospital campus. Before the madness reaches them, Ritchart and the team huddle up, talk about the day, support each other, and prepare for what's ahead.

"I couldn't be more blessed with the team that I have," Ritchart said. "It's a clinic like nothing I've ever worked at. We are a family at 2207."

With the holiday season upon us, the testing site saw an apparent rise in residents trying to squeeze in a COVID-19 or other respiratory test before seeing friends, family, or traveling for Thanksgiving.

"We expect a huge rush of positives and people getting sick because families are going to be together, and I believe the same thing is going to happen at Christmas time," she said. "But we are ready. We are still hiring swabbers, but we will get through this. We always do."

The upward trend of new cases, hospitalizations and deaths has been snowballing for months after a steady stream of patients flooded in after the Fourth of July and Labor Day weekends. However, the 350 to 400 average in June and July is nothing compared to the 600 cars on Monday.

"It scares me for the community how many tests come back because we don't want that high of a positivity rate in the community," she said. "We want the community to be safe. Wear your masks, wash your hands, and protect your loved ones because it's not just affecting one age group. It's everybody."

They've faced challenges in those eight months, just like the rest of the community, still working to find balance amid the global pandemic. Most patients are kind, Ritchart said, writing letters of thanks, providing coffee, and bringing gifts. Others are not.

"We have disgruntled patients, and that wears on you," she said. "The swabbers take a lot of it, and they're tired, but we do the best we can. We make sure they have what they need, and if I'm short, my upper management team comes and helps."

In the beginning, the testing center staff were all volunteers from Kootenai Health's other departments — like Ritchart, who worked at the Kootenai Heart Clinic for seven years.

"Our clinics loaned me so many people. Even if it put their staff short, they sent me people over here to help us," she said. "It's amazing the support we get."

After sending out samples to the Mayo Clinic, University of Washington and other clinics in the Northwest, Kootenai Health is now processing tests on-campus. The biggest worry they faced over the last few months was refilling supplies.

"There was not enough. There was so not enough back then," Ritchart said. "I can remember us being so worried that we were going to run out of supplies, and the Kootenai Incident Command team were calling everywhere, anywhere, we could get supplies."

Now they're doing great, shrinking the wait time for test results from what used to be four or five days to 48 hours maximum. The analyzer used today is a six-hour process, Ritchart said, and tests are run through the night to generate results faster.

None of the testing center abilities could've been done without the leadership and Kootenai's Incident Command structure, Ritchart and Weinshiem said. Within the organization, Ritchart and Weinshiem said they had witnessed the rallying behind one another that has made Kootenai better and stronger for the community.

"We have health care hero banners up everywhere for a reason," Weinshiem said. "This is hard work. You look at the folks standing out here with the full PPE gear, whether it's out in the winter cold or the summer heat. It's amazing to work, and they have my utmost respect."

Where to get COVID-19 info

By AUDREY DALTON

Idaho Statesman

Idaho is broken into seven public health districts. Each one is responsible for managing the coronavirus response for several counties in their region.

They all offer varying levels of information about how COVID-19 is affecting their local hospitals. Here’s where to look:

Panhandle Health District — covering Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, Kootenai and Shoshone counties

The health district shares its COVID-19 data at panhandlehealthdistrict.org/covid-19.

It shows the number of residents who have ever been hospitalized because of COVID-19, including those admitted to hospitals out of state, and the number of Panhandle residents who are currently hospitalized. For example, 66 people from the health district were hospitalized for COVID-19 on Nov. 23.

The health district’s COVID-19 dashboard shows how hospitalizations have changed over time, how many patients were newly admitted for COVID-19 each day, and the demographics of Panhandle residents hospitalized for the coronavirus disease.

Hospitalizations in the northern part of the state

Kootenai Health shares its COVID-19 patient numbers at kh.org/covid-19. It reported 58 patients with COVID-19 on Tuesday morning, including 15 who needed critical care. While it does share the number of beds in its units, it doesn’t share how many are available at any given time. However, the hospital does say that, on Nov. 6, its medical-surgical area — the main area for hospitalized patients — was 92% full. On that day, it had 13 fewer patients with COVID-19 than it did on Tuesday.

Bonner General Health in Sandpoint updates its COVID-19 patient numbers at bonnergeneral.org/covid19-coronavirus. It showed six patients hospitalized with the coronavirus disease as of Monday night.