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America started to breathe a little easier once the first COVID-19 vaccines were rolled out. But experts warn that we still have a few more laps to run to beat the virus because of new variants entering the race. The Centers for Disease Control says that variants pose a threat that could reverse the improvements we’re seeing nationwide in new cases and hospitalizations.

A Utah woman could be the longest living survivor in the U.S. of a renowned pandemic. At its peak in the middle of the 20th century, polio killed half a million people every year. Longevity despite hardship came down to one thing: extraordinary strength.

The Chartis Center for Rural Health recently released its annual list of the top 100 critical access hospitals in the U.S. To determine the 2021 list, the Chartis Center used the Hospital Strength Index, which assesses performance in eight areas: inpatient market share, outpatient market share, quality, outcomes, patient perspective, cost, charge and financial efficiency.

Intermountain Healthcare is now offering COVID-19 vaccination appointments for individuals 12 and older throughout Utah.

Now that COVID-19 vaccines are making their way into the general community, many people are wondering which vaccine they should get when it’s their turn in line. The one that comes in one dose or two? 66 percent vs. 95 percent effective? One that uses mRNA or DNA?

Chase was born with a hole in his lung at Garfield Memorial Hospital in Panguitch, Utah – a rural town of 1,500 people located in Southern Utah – and needed specialized care not available in his community. Fortunately, Intermountain’s TeleHealth services connected Chase’s care team with a NICU doctor in St. George, Utah who provided the expertise to repair Chase’s lung. This remote care also offered the Houston family with a healing experience that did not include the anxiety, stress, and burden of having to travel 100+ miles from Panguitch to St. George.

The data-driven analysis by the Chartis Center for Rural Health, a health care advisory group, named Cedar City Hospital as one of the top 100 rural and community hospitals in the nation and tapped Garfield Memorial Hospital in Panguitch in its top 100 critical access hospitals. Both facilities are operated by Intermountain Healthcare, which is also the operator of St. George Regional Hospital

Genomics can help to create personalized treatment plans for patients, as well as find serious hereditary diseases in families before problems get worse.

Someone asked me the other day how things have changed since more and more people are getting the COVID-19 vaccine. The truth is, it’s night and day different. As the medical director of Infectious Diseases TeleHealth at Intermountain Healthcare, I’ve had a front-row seat to the devastation caused by the virus. In the past couple of months, we’ve seen fewer cases of serious illness and death. Our ICUs and other hospital units are feeling less stress.

Kevin Shakespeare of Tropic, UT, was working in his woodworking shop when he started feeling severe pain. It was a heart attack. The team at Garfield Memorial took care of him, and sent him on a helicopter to St. George for more care. He's now made a full recovery.

Garfield Memorial Hospital is located in Panguitch, UT and is part of a system of 22 hospitals and about 180 medical clinics operated by Intermountain

The first time in Utah’s history a healthcare facility had to use an emergency water filtration system it was a success, all due to exceptional communication, collaboration, and cooperation.

The class is based on a program developed by Stanford University and held at various Intermountain Healthcare locations. Each location will hold its own six-week class. The day of the week that a class begins is the same day of the week that each subsequent class session will be held.