Ada County Funerals Homes Running out of Room for Bodies

Remember when Ada County County bought a refrigerated trailer because the county morgue was running out of space? The purchase was heavily criticized by some who believe the move was unnecessary. Now Idaho funeral directors are facing the same crisis of not having enough space to store bodies before funeral services can be performed.    

The Washington Post reported that Idaho morgues are running out of space due to Covid deaths. The Post says the situation is so bad in Idaho because the state has failed to contain the virus and ranks next to last or last in vaccinations.  

How bad is it? The Post spoke with Robert Kim-Farley, an infectious-disease expert at UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, who said.

"I anticipate that we'll see even more deaths coming in the near future because of the fact that cases are still increasing. It's going to get worse before it gets better."

 

The Washington Post is the latest national platform to profile Idaho's vaccination fight. You can read our coverage of the New York Times, ABC News, and MSNBC's reporting on the Gem State. Recently, several members toured the local ICU beds detailing the challenging conditions described by the medical professionals.  

Funeral directors are calling their colleagues in hopes of finding a place to store bodies. Ada County Coroner Dottie Owens told the Post that the situation is so bad that her trailer has to take the bodies because they can't stay at the hospitals. She received a call last week from a local hospital looking for a place to store bodies.

Cloverdale Funeral Home in Boise purchased a 53-foot refrigerated trailer to help with the massive influx of bodies. Cloverdale's Dave Salove told the Post that he's determined to make sure no one's family member is left in a trailer.

The funeral crisis is another example of the dueling narratives in Idaho and across the country. Boise State University announced over the weekend that they would relax Covid standards for entrance to Saturday's game. Unlike last year, there are no restrictions on large indoor or outdoor events commonly known as 'super spreaders.'