Farmer's Market features produce, seeds, and baked goods from DPH employees
Thank you to everyone who donated or shopped!
The Division of Public Health’s Wellness Committee hosted a farmer’s market on the west lawn at the Central Office on Sept. 10. The market, which raised more than $400, helps fund employee development and education activities in the division, including employee recognition events, volunteer opportunities, and other activities.
DHW staff and others who attended had quite a selection of herbs, vegetables, seeds, homemade cookies, breads, cobbler, and more for a donation. The market has become an annual tradition and is open to all DHW employees.
DPH to offer soil and well water testing at Boise Farmers Market Sept. 21
For those in or around the Treasure Valley on Saturday, Sept. 21, there’s a great opportunity to have your soil tested for lead, or your private well water tested for contaminants.
DPH’s Environmental Health Program will attend the Boise Farmer’s Market at 1500 Shoreline Drive from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Bring soil samples in one-quart plastic bags from your garden, children’s play area, or other locations that could be of concern. Bottles for water sample testing will be provided.
For more details about the event and how to collect a samples, visit DHW’s website: https://healthandwelfare.idaho.gov/health-wellness/environmental-health.
In addition to free soil and water testing the environmental health program will have free radon tests and additional environmental health information.
Have your voice heard with the 2024 Public Health Workforce Interests and Needs Survey
The Idaho Division of Public health is participating in the 2024 PH WINS (Public Health Workforce Interests and Needs Survey). The survey asks questions on key workplace topics such as workplace culture and morale, satisfaction, and training needs, as well as demographic characteristics. You should have received an email on or after Sept. 9 with your survey link.
To learn more about the survey, including its objectives and benefits, or to explore results from 2017 and 2021, please click here. If you have any questions about PH WINS, please contact Todd McArthur, DPH Workforce Director, or the de Beaumont Foundation at phwins@debeaumont.org.
Your participation in PH WINS is invaluable. Thank you in advance for taking the time to respond.
Inspiration from the September Open House: What is your favorite fall activity?
Idaho healthcare workforce staffing issues | Angie Bailey, Bureau Chief, and Mitch Kron, Health Program Manager, attended the Idaho Business Review Breakfast Series Healthcare Workforce to listen to leaders in Idaho healthcare talk about what is being done to help healthcare workforce staffing issues across the state. Most of the topics discussed are well-known across BRHPC, and it was nice to hear the perspectives and possible solutions from leaders with St. Luke’s, St. Al’s, and ISU.
More Dementia Friends! | As of August, Idaho now has 514 Dementia Friends who have attended Dementia Friends sessions. A total of 1,621 caregiver workbooks have been delivered to Idahoans.
Targeted WIC outreach | WIC met with Self-Reliance to finalize details on data matching for targeted WIC outreach. WIC and SNAP participant data will be compared, and WIC will be given a list of SNAP participants that are eligible for WIC but not participating. This list will be sorted by county and shared with the corresponding public health district. The first list will contain all WIC-eligible, but not participating children under the age of 5. Future lists will be distributed quarterly and contain only newly added WIC-eligible individuals. We hope to provide the first outreach list to public health districts in late fall.
Well done! Idaho Family Planning Program | The Idaho Family Planning Program was recognized by the Office of Population Affairs (OPA) with the “Seamless Front Desk Relay” Award as a result of their recent federal program review. Front desk staff at each clinic site helped with bilingual staff check-in, and easily swapped clients between each other if one staff member didn’t speak the language. OPA commended the program for its commitment to providing high quality sexual and reproductive health in the communities they serve.
Get Healthy Idaho initiative pays dividends | The United Way submitted their third-year evaluation report conducted by Shin Kue Ryu, a professor at Idaho State University. The community impact of the Get Healthy Idaho-funded Ride United program was demonstrated in part through income stabilization of program participants. For each $1 of GHI funding, $394 of income stability was realized for individuals seeking help through the Center for Hope South. Program staff noted that Ride United allows people in recovery who lack transportation to regularly attend therapy, counseling, and other services which in turn support them to remain sober, employed and to ultimately afford their own vehicle. Without the service, Center for Hope South estimates that 40% of their clients would relapse and ultimately lose their jobs. The United Way door dash partnership, which delivers nutritionally sound food pantry boxes to families who are unable to visit the pantry due to transportation barriers, disability or work schedule, realizes $21.31 in return for every $1 of GHI funding invested.
Congratulations to Karen Sharpnack, Immunization Champion! | The Association of Immunization Managers (AIM) announced the annual Immunization Champions for every state and jurisdiction. This prestigious award, hosted by AIM and funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, recognizes individuals doing an exemplary job or going above and beyond to promote immunizations or foster vaccine confidence in their communities for children and adults. Idaho’s award winner is Karen Sharpnack, executive director of the Idaho Immunization Coalition. Click here to read AIM’s announcement of all immunization champions.
Reviewing mercury fish advisories | Drew Pendleton in the Environmental Health Program finalized the Idaho Fish Consumption Advisory Project (IFCAP) Protocol revision. The goal of IFCAP is to protect the public from adverse health risks associated with consuming contaminated fish from Idaho and Tribal waters. Currently many of the mercury fish advisories in Idaho have been in place for many years. There is a need to re-sample to see if the advisories still need to be in place. The program is working with the committee to re-sample and update as needed. Idaho Fish and Game will take the samples once funding is identified to pay for the lab testing.
Providing Environmental Health trainings to Home Visiting staff | Brigitta Gruenberg and Kelly Berg attended a meeting with Taryn Yates, Idaho Home Visiting Program, to discuss opportunities to provide environmental health trainings (including childhood lead, radon, private drinking water) for home visiting staff.
988 Lifeline and mobile response | During a Suicide Collective meeting in the Idaho Panhandle in August, Jay Watson, a Bonner County community member, reported that a local QPR gatekeeper reached out to a suicidal woman. The 988 mobile team assisted, and the result was a short stay at Kootenai Behavioral Health (KBH). The suicide was prevented. The woman is alive today and receiving hope and love. The gatekeeper herself was in KBH this year for the same reason. She took QPR training and knew what to do. 988 and mobile response is working!
Well done, Tiffany Robb and the Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias program! | Tiffany and the program received an email from Idaho Sen. Melissa Wintrow that said, in part:
You and your team have responded over and over to provide appropriate guidance and expertise to our stakeholder team as we worked to create a policy that will help our aging population. …
This has been a heavy lift, but so worthwhile and just a step. I'm also so happy that the legislation I brought forward complements your strategic plan. Bonus!
… Thank you again for your hard work, your willingness to work alongside me and provide all the information I need to get this done. I love collaboration and this project is such a good example of it.
You and your team...well...ROCK STARS!
Well done, Dan Ward! | Dan received an email from a colleague in Nevada about his help with QI projects that said, in part:
… Your work and mentoring for me is spreading even farther. I was invited to film a conversation about some of the results of impact from PHIG funding for CDC. The charter that you shared was used in a Behavioral Health QI project and was the first one uploaded to the repository. The testimonials from the group are pretty amazing. I can’t wait to see the data that backs that up. We have a great data analyst on this team. This was the first substantial project where we used your Charter design. It’s keeping this busy group on track! …
So, thank you, Dan, for your support and sharing of knowledge. These tools have helped me dig into projects and increase my learning of QI and the work we do. You have made an impact in our District!
DPH staff changes
The Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistics learned this week that Wendy Bryant, OS2, was offered and accepted a position in the Benefits Division at Westgate. The Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistics wishes her the best in her new adventure as a Self-Reliance specialist. Wendy’s last day was Sept. 11.
Hannah Day’s last day with Women’s Health Check was Sept. 6. Ivie Smart is overseeing WHC until a replacement is hired.
The Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistic sadly says goodbye to Sonya Deakins. Sonya began with the bureau in March 2016 as a research analyst senior. Sonya has been part of the Health Statistics Team and has been a great asset to the Vital Statistics unit. Sonya will be moving to Washington to pursue her career as data consultant in Nutrition Services at the Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI). BVRHS wishes her luck and happiness in her new endeavors. She will greatly be missed.
Casey Suter has resigned as the health program manager for the Idaho Diabetes, Heart Disease, & Stroke Prevention Program and has accepted the Population Health Manager position in the Division of Medicaid. His last day in the Bureau of Community Health will be Friday, September 27. He writes:
I am so fortunate to have worked with such kind, smart, and caring colleagues during not one, but two stints in the Bureau of Community Health. And during my tenure with the Division of Public Health, it has been awesome to see the evolution of programs, collaborations, and partnerships to improve health outcomes for Idahoans. I won’t be far and look forward to further strengthening the bridge between Public Health and Medicaid. I wish you all the best!
51 Rural Health Clinics in Idaho | The number of Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) in Idaho increased from 50 to 51 with the addition of Snake River Pediatrics in Fruitland. Link to a map of Idaho RHCs at RHC Map - 08.14.2024 (idaho.gov).
Using One Department forms? Please read this! | Please do not download the One Department form templates and save them on your computer. The forms are updated often as feedback is received from staff who use them, so we need you to use the most recent form available on the DHW One Department page. We want to help your submissions move through the process as quickly as possible. Using an outdated form will cause delays. Thank you!
A new, more useful DPH Communications page | The DPH Communications page on SharePoint has gotten an overhaul and now includes resources and links to help you get started on projects, read this newsletter, see recordings and slides from previous DPH Open Houses, find DHW and DPH logos and PowerPoint templates, read the DHW style guide, and the Plain Language Guide, and more. Comments or questions? Email Niki Forbing-Orr at niki.forbing-orr@dhw.idaho.gov.
New access to library resources at Boise State University | As part of DPH’s academic public health department relationship with BSU, Robert Graff now has affiliate access to library resources at BSU. This means he is able to try and obtain access to articles that staff have otherwise been unable to access online. Feel free to email him the link to the article you are trying to find. For the time being, please limit yourself to one article request at a time. Below is a brief description of some of the main resources available at the BSU library.
BSU affiliate access library featured resources:
Academic Search Premier: A leading multidisciplinary research database. Includes full-text peer-reviewed journals, magazines, newspapers, and other valuable resources.
JSTOR: Browse scholarly journals, books, and primary sources in the humanities, social sciences, and basic sciences
ProQuest Central: An aggregated database of periodical content bringing together complete databases across all major subject areas, including Business, Health and Medical, Language and Literature, Social Sciences, Education, Science and Technology, as well as core titles in the Performing and Visual Arts, History, Religion, Philosophy, and includes thousands of full-text newspapers from around the world.
Scopus: Index of peer-reviewed literature, scientific journals, books and conference proceedings covering the fields of science, technology, medicine, social sciences, and many other fields
Web of Science Core Collection: Search scholarly journals, books, and proceedings in the sciences, social sciences, and arts and humanities and navigate the full citation network.
Interested in learning more about how to become a foster parent in Idaho? Becoming a foster parent is a big decision and most people have many questions. Check out this FAQ of the most frequently asked questions by prospective foster parents.
Learning and growth opportunities
☑️ Internal / ✅ External / ⭐ Idaho
☑️ ⭐ DPH September Open House materials | The recording and slides from the DPH Open House for July are available on the DPH SharePoint site. The DPH October Open house is scheduled for 1 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 16. See you there!
☑️ ⭐ New resources and training for DHW computer platforms | Resources include SharePoint, Laserfiche, Gov Delivery, Microsoft, and MS365. Check it out!
☑️ DHW Director’s Bulletins | DHW Director Alex Adams regularly publishes bulletins that lead work and priorities throughout DHW. The last bulletin was published on July 31 and directed Management Services to evaluate the motor pool program and develop a report with recommendations for improvement. All Director’s Bulletins are published on the Director’s Office SharePoint site.
✒️ DHW Voice blog | Articles written by DHW staff are available on the department’s website.
📰 DHW Connection | The department’s newsletter is published on Inside DHW each payday. Read the latest issue!
📰 DHW news releases | News releases are posted on the DHW website. Read the latest.
Send your ideas for newsletter stories, staff news, events, successes and other newsletter content to Niki Forbing-Orr@dhw.idaho.gov. The DPH Newsletter comes out every other week unless staff are on vacation. The next issue will come out the week of Oct. 2.