Health Care

COVID cases remain high in San Juan

Area COVID-19 cases are impacting hospital capacity regionally. Hospitals in Grand Junction are reporting 94 percent of hospital beds utilized with 96 percent ICU beds being utilized and 82 percent of ventilators being utilized. Intermountain Healthcare in Utah is also reporting its ICU units and...

COVID claims 43 lives, two were vaccinated

Since March 2020, a total of 43 San Juan County residents have passed away with the COVID-19 virus. Two recent victims in the Blanding area were breakthrough cases, meaning they had previously been vaccinated against the virus. The fatal breakthrough cases in the Blanding area include a woman in...

New clinic in Spanish Valley

San Juan Health cut the ribbon on a new clinic in Spanish Valley on November 4. The clinic is in the middle of the fastest growing area of San Juan County, just south of Moab. The $5.4-million-facility was built with the financial support of the Community Impact Board. An additional $1.5 million...

New Public Health director named for San Juan County: Dr. Sunada

San Juan County welcomes its newest Public Health Director in the midst of an ongoing pandemic. The department has been without a director the entire year, after former director Kirk Benge accepted a role in Uintah County. In October, the county hired Dr. Grant Sunada, who comes to the position...

Blue Mountain Hospital launches TeleHealth partnership with IHC

Blue Mountain Hospital is excited to announce that it now provides an extra level of support to its patients through a telehealth partnership with Intermountain Healthcare. The TeleHealth Hospitalist Service focuses on caring for patients in unique ways. The comprehensive service is staffed 24/7...

COVID cases increase from 28 to 99 active cases in one month

The number of active COVID-19 cases in San Juan County continues to grow, exploding to 99 cases as of September 3. The number has increased from 28 to 99 active cases in the one month between August 3 and September 3. San Juan Public Health states that almost all of the current active cases are...

COVID-19 continues to impact life in county

by Bill Boyle San Juan Record Editor The COVID-19 pandemic is continuing to impact life in San Juan County. Students and faculty in six of the 12 public schools in San Juan County are attending school under a mask mandate. The numbers continue to grow of local residents infected with COVID-19 virus...

COVID-19 cases on the rise with Delta variant

After several months of declining numbers, it appears as if the incidence of COVID-19 is on the rise again in San Juan County. The most recent figures released by San Juan Public Health show a steady rise in the number of active cases of the virus, which was first found in San Juan County 17 months...

Health district approves 2021 property tax rate

The San Juan Health District board approved a property tax rate on June 17 that will lower overall collections for the district, even while it will mean a tax increase for some property owners. “The board wanted to do their very best to provide some level of relief,” explained health district CEO...

Blue Mountain Hospital CEO Jeremy Lyman wins award at rural hospital administrators summit

Blue Mountain Hospital (BMH) Chief Executive Officer Jeremy Lyman won the Excellence in Care During COVID-19 award at the ninth annual Rural Hospital Administrators Summit on June 10 in Bryce Canyon, UT. The Rural Hospital Administrators Summit is an annual event organized by the Utah Department...