RUPERT — Minidoka Memorial Hospital has canceled its annual health fair and blood draws due to the COVID-19 case surge.
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Normalizing the abnormal: Magic Valley adjusts to life a year into COVID
Doctors, medical directors and hospital CEOs talk about how the pandemic wreaked havoc
RUPERT — Doctors, medical directors and hospital administrators quietly shouldered the massive burden of implementing new and quickly changing health care protocol during 2020 — as the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc at their clinics and hospitals throughout the Magic Valley.
A year into the pandemic, permanent changes are going forward. Several medical professionals share what they have learned during this troubling time.
Canty
Dr. Basil C. Anderson
Medical floor manager Melissa Bedke talks about some of the changes they've made at the hospital Nov. 12, 2020, at Minidoka Memorial Hospital in Rupert.
Respiratory therapist Stuart Young talks about his work Nov. 13, 2020, at Minidoka Memorial Hospital in Rupert.
Lamenting a lost season
In her junior year of high school, Meg Walker finished second at state in both the girls 100-meter hurdles and the 400-meter dash.
The athletes who defeated Walker were both seniors.
Meg Walker, left, and her twin sister, Annie Walker, pose for a photo at Utah Valley University.
Buhl senior Carlee Finney, right, congratulates opponent Meg Walker of Kimberly on May 10, 2018, during the 3A District Track Championships at Filer High School in Filer. Walker finished first in the girls 400-meter dash and Finney finished second.
Twin Falls School District expecting double the number of summer school students this year
TWIN FALLS — The various schedule changes and periods of online education over this past year have created gaps in learning that may take some time to recover.
As the COVID-19 pandemic began to worsen, schools throughout the Magic Valley moved to an online model for the remainder of the spring semester. Since then, many school districts have operated on hybrid schedules where students spend some days in class and others learning at home.
Science teacher Camille Flournoy sets out masks for her students Aug. 18, 2020, at O’Leary Middle School in Twin Falls.
Teacher Michelle Hammond pauses for a photo Aug. 6, 2020, at O'Leary Middle School in Twin Falls.
'It's been hell': Nurses share their experiences during past year
TWIN FALLS — The past year has been hell for nurses across the country, especially nurses like Lauren DeLeon, who has spent the pandemic working in the St. Luke’s Magic Valley Medical Center intensive care unit.
At multiple points in 2020, Magic Valley hospitals were overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients.
COVID-19's effects on outdoor recreation were more good than bad
Idaho Department of Health and Welfare issued orders for residents to self-isolate starting March 25, 2020.
That order included several restrictions — even social distancing when outside. For outdoor recreation and related industries, the order was clear. Walking, hiking, running, and biking were not prohibited, but a safe distance of 6 feet was required for those who do not live in the same household.
Idaho Mountain Festival goers Cait Vitale and Nakul Deshpande read a City of Rocks National Preserve and Castle Rocks State Park book at their campsite Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019, in Castle Rocks State Park near Almo.
Kim Sue DePew, center, leads a socially distanced vinyasa yoga sequence March 28, 2020, at the band shell in City Park in Twin Falls. Outdoor recreation fared well during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kim Sue DePew poses during a vinyasa yoga sequence in March 2020 at the band shell in City Park in Twin Falls.
Kim Sue DePew (center) leads a socially distanced yoga class March 28, 2020, at the band shell in City Park in Twin Falls. In March last year, coronavirus quickly changed how folks went about living their lives.
Jury trials resume in the Magic Valley nearly a year after COVID hits
After a year-long hiatus, jury trials in some counties have now resumed, with social-distancing protocols in place. But Idaho’s court system is facing a backlog of cases that will take some time to get through.
Last March, the Idaho Supreme Court suspended jury trials throughout the state to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. In the fall, some trials were held for a brief time in counties with a low number of COVID-19 cases. The court again suspended jury trials in December.
Signs in Spanish ask the public to socially distance themselves Tuesday at the Theron W. Ward Judicial Building in Twin Falls.
Twin Falls County Sheriff's Sgt. Ken Mencl testifies Tuesday behind plexiglass panels during a trial at the Theron W. Ward Judicial Building in Twin Falls.
Trials have resumed Tuesday, March 9, 2021, at the judicial building in Twin Falls.
Trials have resumed Tuesday, March 9, 2021, at the judicial building in Twin Falls.
A carpet sticker marks off socially distanced space March 9 in the Theron Ward Judicial Building in Twin Falls. Nearly a year after COVID entered Idaho, trials have resumed in Twin Falls County District Court.
