Among the state's hardest hit by the recent surge in COVID-19 cases is Idaho, including in the panhandle.
Kootenai Health in Coeur D'Alene started seeing patients in the conference room of its Health Resource Center as the state transitions into Crisis Standards of Care in north and central Idaho.
Kootenai Health said it has stretched existing staff, hired additional contract nurses, expanded bed capacity, canceled elective surgeries and adjusted care to accommodate the COVID-19 patient surges and volume demands.
The hospital is scheduled to receive additional staffing from the Department of Defense and elsewhere.