Hospitals struggle as death toll rises

While hospitals across the region continue to struggle with the number of COVID-19 patients needing medical attention, the first local deaths in many months have now officially been reported by the state. Meanwhile, after several weeks of verging on crisis mode, the situation has been a little calmer inside Crook County Memorial Hospital over the last week, says CEO Micki Lyons.

“We still have positive inpatients in the hospital and continue to have difficulty getting patients out to a higher level of care,” she says.

The staff has been able to keep the ship steady throughout the recent outbre...