Project Filter works with Idaho PTA to establish Family Prevention Nights
Effort began Oct. 18 in West Ada School District
Project Filter partnered with the Idaho Parent Teacher Association (PTA) to host Family Prevention Nights across the state. These events are aimed at inspiring parents to begin talking to their children about the dangers of commercial tobacco and nicotine use. Research shows that parents can influence their child's perception about commercial tobacco and nicotine products, ultimately decreasing the likelihood they would vape or use other nicotine products.
Project Filter has leveraged this relationship with Idaho PTA because of their critical commitment to supporting parents in developing the skills necessary to raise and protect Idaho children.
They kicked off their first Family Prevention Night at Hunter Elementary's Trunk-or-Treat in the West Ada School District on Friday, Oct. 18. This event was entirely planned by the Hunter Elementary PTA to engage families in a safe and fun experience, while also providing important health information about vaping to parents.
Project Filter staff served almost 400 families at their booth, engaging in conversations with parents and students alike. They highlighted the importance of brain health and nicotine prevention, leveraging Noggin from the Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias Program. Alongside Noggin, they shared information about Secondhand Vape and simple ways to incorporate prevention conversations into family time.
Family caregivers provide an important service but may need support
November is National Family Caregiver Month, a time to recognize and appreciate the invaluable contributions of family caregivers across the state. For the past several years, the Idaho governor has officially designated November as Family Caregiver Month, highlighting the significant role caregivers play in supporting loved ones with chronic or disabling conditions.
In Idaho, more than 300,000 family members and friends dedicate their time and energy to caring for children or adults with chronic or disabling conditions and who require ongoing assistance with daily activities. An estimated 66,000 Idahoans provide this level of care for people with dementia, for example.
If you find yourself in the role of a family caregiver, it's important to know that you are not alone. There are numerous resources available, both locally and nationally, that can provide support, information, and guidance. Don't hesitate to seek out these resources to help you navigate your caregiving journey and ensure your well-being as well as that of your loved one.
A few of those local resources are:
Family Caregiver Navigator - A free telephonic caregiver navigation service to help locate resources for the person you are caring for and for yourself.
Community Care Program - A free case management service provider that provides information, support, and education to caregivers taking care of someone with memory concerns or a form of dementia.
Idaho Parents Unlimited - Families helping families of children who have disabilities thrive by providing special education, health, and arts training, information, and support.
Idaho Area Agencies on Aging Consumer-Directed Respite – Offers small stipends to help caregivers supplement respite, allowing the caregiver a break from caregiving duties and the care recipient a break from the caregiver.
One Site For Seniors (North Idaho)- Offers caregiver education, adult day services, and caregiver support groups for those who serve people with dementia.
National Alliance on Mental Illness (Idaho Chapter) - Offers supports, education, a crisis line, and a local community for those caring for someone with a mental health condition.
Kinship - Offers supports, education, community connections, financial support, and navigation for those who take on the role of parenting when the child’s parents are not able.
DPH staff changes
A note from DPH Leadership about recent staffing announcements:
“This week unfolded with hard news to individual team members and staff across the division about our FTP overage. Our hearts go out to those who found out their positions are ending. We also know many areas in the division will be operating with smaller teams and this is causing stress and anxiety. We are committed to walking through this with you and to find solutions that bring relief. We are in this together, and we can rise up.” — Elke, Sarah, Traci and Chris
Welcome Jordan Tuffield! My name is Jordan Tuffield, and I am a new section manager for Epidemiology in the Bureau of Environmental Health and Communicable Disease. My background includes bachelor’s degrees in microbiology and medical laboratory science, and a master’s in health administration with an emphasis in organizational leadership and change management. These have brought me unique experiences in microbiology, hospital laboratories, and working with a diverse group of people.
I have been married to my husband Derek for a little over two years. We have a border collie/ Australian Shepard mix named Piper. I am an Idaho native who enjoys fly fishing, hiking, water skiing, snow skiing, and camping. I enjoy learning new things and look forward to working with the team here at the state.
Best of luck, KD! KD Carlson’s last day as the Newborn Screening and Children’s Special Health program manager was Oct. 4. KD began with BOCAPS as a health education specialist, then promoted to MCH health program specialist, and then moved on to lead daily operations for NBS and CSHP for the past 2.5 years. She leaves for a new journey with the U.S. Coast Guard, and we wish her success!
Well done!
StateComm’s Rebecca Brockman (third from left) received the Director’s Award of Excellence for her excellent internal and external customer service skills. The award was announced at the October Open House. She is seen in the photo below, along with (from left) Sarah Poe, Elke Shaw-Tulloch, Wayne Denny, Chris Loffer, Jeremy Elliot, and Brad Ronge.
Adhieu Arok-Adah, Project Filter, previously received funding from the Northwest Center for Public Health Practice for a student project to conduct research that brought to light the mental health challenges experienced by the children of South Sudanese refugees.
Adhieu explained several different ways this research impacted her. “Conducting this study helped me with my science identity. I haven’t always seen a lot of Africans or Black people in science, and this helped build my confidence as a researcher. I also improved my writing and interviewing skills. And even though I grew up as a refugee, this research revealed many things about the refugee experience I didn’t know.”
The center recently highlighted Adhieu's full story.
Elmore County CHEMS program, funded through Get Healthy Idaho: In August, the National Association of Mobile Integrated Healthcare Providers announced Dr. Jennifer Rhoads as the 2024 NAEMT-NAMIHP Community Paramedic of the Year. This award “recognizes a paramedic (or EMT) who demonstrates excellence in the performance of community paramedicine, with their primary role being that of a community paramedic.” Working alongside Courtney Kelly, Get Healthy Idaho Project Coordinator at Central District Health, Dr. Rhoads helped to establish Elmore County’s first community paramedicine/Community Health EMS program.
Community Health EMS/Paramedicine functions outside of traditional emergency response roles by meeting patients in their homes, helping fill critical gaps in our healthcare system, lowering healthcare costs, and (most importantly) improving health outcomes and wellbeing of those served.
“Elmore County is lucky to have the expertise of Dr. Jennifer Rhoads and support of Courtney Kelly at Central District Health and our incredible team at the Bureau of EMS-Preparedness who have lifted up a CHEMS program with Elmore Ambulance Service,” writes Katie Lamansky, GHI program manager. “Get Healthy Idaho is proud to provide a mechanism to coordinate funding and support for this incredible program. Dr. Rhoads is undoubtedly improving lives and creating a much-needed human connection to residents in need of more human-centered care in Elmore County. Congratulations on this well-deserved achievement as the (first ever) 2024 NAEMT-NAMIHP Community Paramedic of the Year!”
Out and about
Mitch Kron, Bureau of Rural Health and Primary Care, attended the United Together Conference 2024. The event was a great opportunity for Mitch to learn about healthcare workforce programs offered by Idaho’s Area Health Education Centers, how leadership culture can affect company culture and outcomes, and the future of Certified Community Behavioral Health Centers in Idaho. Mitch also met partners in person from Idaho AHEC, Heritage Health, and HRSA. It turns out that Mitch went to high school with Dr. David Atkins, the Chief Behavioral Health Officer at Heritage Health in north Idaho, showing that despite Idaho’s rapid growth, there is still room for the small-town feel.
Alex Prado, Bureau of Rural Health and Primary Care, attended the Idaho State University Physicians Assistant Program Rural Health Day and presented to the program. This was a great opportunity to share information related to shortage designation, loan repayment opportunities, and job search resources for the PA students.
Drew Pendleton, DPH toxicologist, Environmental Health Program, hosted the program booth at the Boise Farmers Market on Saturday, Sept. 21. Drew provided information on a variety of environmental health topics including radon, lead, and private well water testing. These events are an important part of the program’s success, as they allow staff to speak directly to the public, learn about their concerns and issues, and teach them about important health topics that they have the ability to eliminate or reduce exposure to.
Carolee Cooper, Environmental Health Program, taught the third “Radon in Real Estate” training in Pocatello. This course is approved by the Idaho Real Estate Commission and was developed by Carolee Cooper and Brigitta Gruenberg with help from a radon education partner. Participants can earn two continuing education credits.
The Idaho Immunization Program hosted Booster Shots 2024 on Sept. 26. There were lots of great questions and participation! The webinar application indicated 201 separate users accessed the webinar, but some offices participate as a group. This is the first year Booster Shots has been hosted as a single-day webinar event. Overall feedback was positive, with 99.1% of attendees indicating they were satisfied or very satisfied with the information provided at the event. The program was able to award a total of 414.8 continuing education credit contact hours to nurses and medical assistants.
Just for fun
Halloween vibes? Upload photos of your decorations and costumes to 2024 Halloween Photos. We’ll pick a few to highlight in the next DPH Newsletter!
Moonlighting for the Broncos! Jeremy Peterson is the automated system manager in the Bureau of Vital Records and Statistics. Did you know he’s also the voice for several Boise State sports teams and has worked more than 800 events? The first part of the story is below. Read the entire article.
Bronco block! Bronco goal! That’s another Bronco bomb! It’s time for Bronco gymnastics!
If you’ve attended a Boise State athletics event, chances are high you’ve heard one of those phrases. You might even recognize the voice from other sporting events in the Treasure Valley. What you probably don’t know is the story of the man behind the calls, Jeremy Peterson. A game day staple for the Broncos, Peterson has worked over 800 events. His most common role is the one that allows him to unleash his passion for creating the loudest atmosphere in the conference: public address announcer.
Vaccines for Children celebrates 30 years: Oct. 1 marked the 30th anniversary of the implementation of the Vaccines for Children (VFC) Program. This federal program ensures traditionally underserved children have fewer barriers to accessing vaccines. Many Idaho Immunization Program staff attended a virtual celebration with representatives from the American Academy of Pediatrics, Association of Immunization Managers, CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, and Vaccinate Your Family highlighting the significant public health impact of this program, including 508 million infections, 32 million hospitalizations, and 1,129,000 deaths prevented as a result of the VFC program. Of note, these numbers represent a societal savings of nearly $2.7 trillion, including a direct savings of $540 billion.
New dashboards highlight data on alcohol consumption, drug overdoses, and reportable diseases
The Population Health Data Team has been busy! Three new dashboards have been published – one for data on drug overdoses, one for data on alcohol consumption, and one for data on reportable diseases. The Respiratory Disease Seasonal Indicators dashboard is being updated weekly during the 2024-2025 respiratory disease season. Check out all the dashboards DPH staff maintain at https://www.gethealthy.dhw.idaho.gov/population-health-data
Track the DPH progress in meeting the WIG to decrease number of children entering foster care
The latest version of the DPH WIG Scoreboard is now available at https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/idaho.division.of.public.health/viz/DPHWIGDashboard/DPHMeasures?publish=yes
You also can access the DPH scoreboard by visiting the DPH SharePoint home page and selecting the link on the lower left side of the page.
September transparency reports for DHW are now available
To increase transparency and accountability of department operations, and to provide data for economic and statewide budget forecasting, the DHW divisions of Medicaid and Self-reliance now issue monthly reports of program participation and expenditures, as established in Director’s Bulletin 8. See all the reports.
Learning and growth opportunities
☑️ Internal / ✅ External / ⭐ Idaho
☑️ ⭐ DPH October Open House materials | The recording and slides from the DPH Open House for October are available on the DPH SharePoint site. The DPH November Open House is scheduled for 1 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 20. 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. Three bulletins were published on Sept. 20. All Director’s Bulletins are published on the Director’s Office SharePoint site.
✅ ⭐ Idaho Immunization Coalition is having a baby shower | From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Southwest District health in Caldwell, moms-to-be will get brunch as they learn about mental and physical well-being during their pregnancies. Information below.
✒️ 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 DPH Newsletter content to Niki Forbing-Orr@dhw.idaho.gov. The next issue will come out the week of Nov. 13.