Discovering new ways for all Idahoans to be as healthy as possible
Idaho's Health Priorities Conference was well-attended and well-received.
Idaho’s Health Priorities Conference, which took place May 29-31 in Boise, was an opportunity for more than 300 registered attendees from around Idaho to discover new and creative ways communities are working to make sure all Idahoans have what they need to be as healthy as possible.
The two-and-a-half-day event was jam-packed with sessions, workshops, and keynote speakers who all were focused on improving health for all Idahoans. Conference organizers have said the response to the conference has been resoundingly positive.
The conference was administered and supported by Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, the Division of Public Health, and more than a dozen community organizations from across Idaho. The planning committee met monthly to create the vision and develop the conference through a shared mission to improve health for all Idahoans.
Several DPH programs and staff joined a list of presenters that also included Diabetes Alliance of Idaho, University of Idaho, Boise State University, Idaho State University, St. Luke’s Health Systems, Idaho Commission on Aging, Idaho Hispanic Foundation, the Pocatello Free Clinic, Idaho Immunization Coalition, and many others who provided data, research, and best practices.
A huge thank you to all the DPH staff who worked hard behind the scenes to plan the programming, review abstracts, schedule the speakers, and generally make sure the conference was a valuable place to learn and grow for all the attendees. Great work!
Highlighting staff news, achievements, and milestones.
👋 The Bureau of Rural and Primary Health welcomes Angie Bailey as its new bureau chief! Angie is excited for this new chapter in her public health career with the division and department. Angie started with the division as a contractor in 2011 for the Oral Health Program and has continued to grow her career over the years through program manager positions, and then most recently as Chronic Disease Section manager in the Bureau of Community Health. She is very thankful for her time in the Bureau of Community Health and the people who have supported and mentored her and have helped her get to where she is today. Angie is extremely passionate about access to healthcare and all that it encompasses, especially in our rural Idaho communities. She looks forward to working with the bureau team and all of the partners in implementing programs and providing resources to improve access to healthcare in Idaho’s rural and underserved areas. In her free time Angie enjoys spending time with her husband, Tom; her two kids, Avery (9) and Hunter (7); their two horses, Zippy and Brownie; two goldendoodles, Lily and Abbey; and their eight chickens.
👋 Farewell for now … Gina Pannell, the previous bureau chief of the Bureau of Rural Health and Primary Care, left the position to pursue her PhD in Public and Population Health Leadership from Boise State University. Her last day was May 31. We wish her the best! A few parting words:
I am beyond grateful for these last two years. I have had the pleasure of meeting and working side-by-side with public health experts (some of the best in the nation no doubt!) and teaming up with a workforce and stakeholders that are passionate and dedicated about fighting for and ensuring that no matter where people live, they are afforded access to healthcare. Throughout my career, I have had many people ask me the secret sauce for getting into leadership. I generally have two answers to that, and they are both simple. The first is to find leaders who resonate with you and do what they do. The second is also not complex, although it can be more difficult (especially when overwhelmed and under resourced), and I am reminded of its power every day, “Work hard and be kind.”
👋 The Bureau of Rural Health and Primary Care also welcomes Mitch Kron, who writes:
Hello everyone! My first day at DHW was May 13th in the Bureau of Rural Health and Primary Care as the new rural healthcare workforce and access manager. Before coming to DHW, I was a program manager in Communicable Disease Control at Central District Health, primarily focused on COVID-19 response activities and infectious disease outbreak preparedness. My wife, Morganne, and I have two daughters: Nova (9) and Isla (almost 4). I am a lifelong Idahoan and pursued my education at the College of Western Idaho and Boise State University, studying public health with an emphasis on health education and promotion. I am passionate about environmental and public health and look forward to helping the bureau improve access to healthcare in rural Idaho. In my free time, I enjoy spending time outdoors with my family, bicycling, fishing, woodworking, and listening to music. I also dabble in creating salsas and hot sauces with homegrown super-hot peppers from our garden.
👋 It is with mixed emotions the Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistics says goodbye to Alyssa Shoemaker. Alyssa began with the bureau in May 2019 as an OSS2. Since being a member of our team, Alyssa has done a phenomenal job leading the Customer Service unit. For example, Alyssa was instrumental in helping the bureau navigate the challenges of Covid. She has been a leader in helping us establish an ongoing culture of quality improvement and world class customer service. Alyssa was also heavily invested in the wellbeing and success of everyone in the Bureau. She leaves behind a legacy of excellence. We will miss her and wish her well in her new endeavors!
👏 Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistics accepts staff honors at annual meeting: Bureau Chief James Aydelotte and Anthony Thomas, program manager, recently attended the annual National Association for Public Health Statistics and Information Systems (NAPHSIS) meeting in Detroit. Topics discussed included the future of vital records issuance, plans for a new standard certificate and plans to transition to ICD –11 for cause of death coding. While they were there, Jeremy Peterson, automated system manager, was awarded The President’s award as well as the Team Excellence Award for his significant contributions at the national level. Jeremy was not able to attend so James accepted the awards in his behalf. Well done, Jeremy!
📋 The Idaho Perinatal Quality Collaborative held its first annual summit at Boise State University on May 16. There were 93 in-person and 30 virtual attendees, including physicians, nurse managers, public health professionals, and community organizations. Topics included an overview of maternal health in Idaho, maternal mental health, community birth transfer, and AIM’s Severe Hypertension in Pregnancy Patient Safety Bundle.
🤝The Idaho Long-Term Care Ombudsman has established a virtual family council that offers educational sessions monthly. The one coming up this month is on guardianship and conservatorship. Learn more by scanning the QR Code in the flyer below or email frmelnikovsky@aging.idaho.gov for more information.
📖 The Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias Program has launched a new resource: Navigating Dementia Workbook for Family Caregivers. It can be accessed virtually or ordered as a printed copy. Spanish should be available by the end of June.
SNAP (food stamps) Statewide Participant Trend from 2010 through April 2024
More information on the SNAP participation is available under “Food Assistance.
Learning and growth opportunities. ☑️ Internal / ✅ External / ⭐ Idaho
☑️ ⭐ Quality Improvement training on customer focus | 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. June 25: Performance Improvement Manager Dan Ward will provide a virtual one-hour QI training on customer focus: what customer focus is, how to identify your customers (internal and external), the various type of tools and approaches that can be applied to measure customer feedback, and how to use this data to meet or exceed customer expectations. These elements are easy to understand and extremely helpful to identify improvement opportunities that can increase customer satisfaction. Listed below are some of the benefits to using customer input:
Meeting or exceeding customer expectation
Improving customer satisfaction
Improving outcomes
Register by June 23 in LUMA. To find the class, either copy/paste the title of the class in the search field or type in “DPH – QI training: Customer Focus.” Those who have registered will receive information for joining the WebEx session on June 24.
✅ Webinar: Creating Accessible Public Health Communications: Watch it at Public Health Webinars | Expert Insights | PHCC (publichealthcollaborative.org)
✅ Community-driven strategies to address persistent poverty in rural areas | webinar | 1 p.m. MDT, June 18: Most counties where at least 20% of the population has lived below the federal poverty line for at least 30 years lie in rural areas. Join this webinar from “County Health Rankings & Roadmaps” to learn about strategies rooted in community expertise and cultural traditions that address persistent poverty. This webinar is the second in a two-part series. View part one of the series, Identifying the forces behind persistent poverty. REGISTER NOW
✅ Climate Change and Public Health: Alaska on the Frontlines | 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. MDT June 15 | Climate change in Alaska is transforming ecosystems, harming fisheries, and exacerbating health disparities. The direct impacts threaten public infrastructure and traditional access to foods, as well as present diseases emerging from melting permafrost, ocean acidification, and extreme storms. In this hour-long webinar, Jackie Qataliña Schaeffer, Iñupiaq, director of Climate Initiatives, will explain how receding glaciers, rising sea levels, increasing temperatures, permafrost thaw, and other influences are impacting Alaska's rural and indigenous populations. The presenter will also discuss strategies to protect these communities. By the end of the webinar, participants will be able to identify climate threats to public health in rural Alaska and have a better understanding of the inequities with processes for state and federal funding and resources. Register today
✒️ DHW Voice | Articles written by DHW staff
June 7 | From DHW Director Alex J. Adams: DHW is renewing its commitment to strengthen child welfare
May 31 | From Interim Director Dean Cameron: A tribute to the people and progress at DHW
May 29 | Bug bites aren’t just annoying; they can also make you sick! By Dr. Kathryn Turner, Division of Public Health
May 24 | Think safety while having fun in Idaho waters: May is National Water Safety Month, by DHW Communications
📰 DHW Connection | The department’s newsletter
Read the latest issues - new issues are published each payday | DHW Connection