Kootenai Health has been recognized in a new national publication from the American Hospital Association and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that highlights successful sepsis programs in rural hospitals across the country.

Both organizations independently identified Kootenai Health as a leader in rural sepsis care. The Coeur d'Alene-based health system was ultimately selected as one of only three hospitals featured in the publication, Rural Sepsis Care in Action, a resource designed to help hospitals improve outcomes for patients facing one of medicine's most complex and dangerous conditions.

For Bailey Larson, manager of Kootenai Health's Sepsis and Forensic Nursing Programs, the recognition reflects years of dedicated work.

"We've been working hard over the last four years," Larson said. "It's a complicated disease."

Sepsis occurs when the body's response to an infection spirals out of control, triggering widespread inflammation that can damage organs and tissues. According to the Mayo Clinic, sepsis can progress to septic shock, a severe drop in blood pressure that may lead to organ failure and death. Early recognition and treatment are critical to survival.

Despite growing awareness, sepsis remains a major challenge in hospitals nationwide. At Kootenai Health alone, about 2,500 patients were treated for sepsis in 2025, averaging about 175 cases each month. Those patients ranged from newborns to older adults.

"It does not discriminate," Larson said.

Patients often arrive at the hospital after an infection has worsened despite treatment. Symptoms can include severe pain, shortness of breath, confusion and extreme illness.

"The severity of the illness will usually lead them to come to the hospital," Larson said.

One of the challenges of sepsis is that it can affect almost anyone. According to the CDC, nearly any infection has the potential to develop into sepsis, making prevention and early recognition difficult.

"There are not specific triggers," Larson said.

Even after successful treatment, the effects of sepsis can linger long after a patient leaves the hospital. Recovery may take days or weeks during hospitalization, but full recovery can stretch over months and, in some cases, up to a year.

"There are lasting medical complications," Larson said.

Some patients experience long-term physical, cognitive and emotional challenges. Others face an increased risk of developing sepsis again, leading to repeated hospitalizations. Larson said the illness can have lifelong consequences.

"It can affect them for the rest of their lives," she said.

Because of those lasting effects, Kootenai Health's program focuses on more than treatment during hospitalization. The team also works to support patients as they transition back to their homes and communities. While some patients continue recovering in skilled nursing or rehabilitation facilities, others are able to continue healing at home with appropriate support.

The stakes are high. Sepsis remains one of the leading causes of death in hospitals and is frequently associated with the sickest patients. Larson said more than half of patients who suffer cardiac arrests in the hospital have sepsis.

"It's horrible. It's absolutely horrible," she said.

Improving outcomes requires a relentless focus on data and education, two areas that have become central to Kootenai Health's approach. Larson oversees much of the program's data analysis and staff education efforts, using performance measures to identify opportunities for improvement.

"There's no decision that's not data driven," she said.

That commitment to evidence-based care has helped shape a program that is now being recognized nationally. The publication not only highlights Kootenai Health's success but also provides a roadmap that other hospitals can use to strengthen their own sepsis programs.

Larson hopes the lessons learned in North Idaho will benefit patients far beyond the region.

"They can take this program and run with it and optimize their own program," she said.

For Larson and Dr. Robert Scoggins, the program's medical director, the national recognition is gratifying. But they say the real measure of success is the impact on patients and families affected by sepsis.

"We have worked so hard on such a complicated disease," Larson said.

The work is far from finished. As awareness of sepsis continues to grow, Kootenai Health plans to keep refining its approach, improving outcomes and sharing what it has learned with other rural hospitals.

In the end, Larson said, the mission remains simple.

"That's what it's all about," she said. "It's about the patients."