There was one bed coming available in the intensive care unit in Alaska’s largest hospital.
It was the middle of the night, and the hospital, Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage, had been hit with a deluge of coronavirus patients. Doctors now had a choice to make: Several more patients at the hospital, most of them with COVID-19, were in line to take that last ICU spot. But there was also someone from one of the state’s isolated rural communities who needed to be flown in for emergency surgery.
Who should get the final bed?
In Alaska s COVID crisis, doctors must decide who lives and who dies bdnews24.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from bdnews24.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Credit Olivia Ebertz / KYUK
On April 8, members of the National Guard and other state officials visited the village of Tuluksak to meet with Tribal leaders and community members. The visit came nearly three months after a fire destroyed Tuluksak’s water plant. During the meeting, council members shared their current needs and discussed potential spring flooding.
Snow swirled around the airstrip as a Black Hawk helicopter made its descent. The helicopter was carrying Maj. Gen. Torrence Saxe, the head of the Alaska National Guard. Also on board were other guard members, officials from the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, a representative of the governor’s office, and KYUK s Olivia Ebertz.
National Guard Visits Tuluksak 4 Months After Water Plant Fire kyuk.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from kyuk.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.