Public health partners gather to help develop next health improvement plan
A new State Health Improvement Plan is expected to be finished by spring 2025.
Katie Lamansky and Karla Nelson, State Health Improvement Planning team, gathered 115 public health partners from around the state on Friday, Nov. 22, to help develop a new Statewide Health Improvement Plan. The current plan is for 2020-2024.
Participants at the Idaho Statewide Health Improvement Plan Partner Convening represented DPH, Behavioral Health, Medicaid, Self-Reliance, and other divisions in DHW, as well as Tribal leadership, health districts, other state agencies, health systems and clinics, health and social service organizations, and other entities working to make sure Idahoans have opportunities to be as healthy as possible.
Participants heard an overview of and accomplishments from the current plan, as well as success stories from three Idaho communities that have successfully tackled public health issues with support and funding from Get Healthy Idaho. They also reviewed themes from the state health assessment, considered population health data, and were given examples of best practices and DHW services and programs that help keep Idahoans healthy.
After that, participants spent the afternoon in small table groups discussing proposed strategies, activities, and resources for the top four themes identified in the state health assessment: access to care, behavioral health, housing, and preventive factors. Each table kept notes and filled out a health improvement strategy form so Katie and Karla can review what was discussed as they develop the next five-year plan, which is expected to be finished in spring 2025. Stay tuned…
The clouds parted for a successful Rake Up Boise
The DPH Wellness Committee pulled together a team of DPH staff and family members to participate in Rake Up Boise on Saturday, Nov. 23. The rain stopped and the clouds parted just long enough for everyone to rake up the front and back yard for a resident in east Boise. The team filled more than 20 bags in less than an hour. Thanks to everyone who helped make that happen!
Programs have a new WIG resource for Idaho Home Visiting Program
A fact sheet about the Idaho Home Visiting Program is now available in the WIG toolkit. It is for internal informational purposes only, at this time. If you would like an external resource, please contact Niki Forbing-Orr or James la Marche. See it and other resources in the 2024 WIG Toolkit.
Well done!
Two reports published recently by another state agency used data from the Idaho Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). The reports are:
Both reports were published by the Idaho Statistical Analysis Center. ISAC provides criminal justice statistics to the U.S. Department of Justice and is funded by a pass-through grant to the Idaho State Police.
The sexual violence report includes information provided by both the Bureau of Community Health Sexual Violence Prevention Program and BRFSS.
The substance misuse report was produced in collaboration with the State Epidemiological Outcomes Workgroup (SEOW) which is funded by a SAMHSA grant to the Office of Drug Policy. Chris Murphy, research analyst, has been on the SEOW for more than a decade; Jonas Frankel-Bricker, Heidi Cook, and Pam Harder also are division members. Deputy Director Monty Prow is a past chair of the SEOW. Jonas provided the BRFSS data included in both reports.
Holiday gift drive for youth in foster care
This year’s department-wide Holiday Gift Drive for foster youth is collecting donations now! You can bring your new unwrapped gift with the tag still attached to the 4th floor lobby. Drop-off deadline is Monday, Dec. 2. More details are available in this flyer.
WIC participation numbers
The WIC Participation PDF file provides a static snapshot view of the WIC participation trend.
One Department Q&A: Legislature’s expected reaction; external surveys
Q: The One Department request templates ask about the Legislature’s anticipated reaction. How should I know? And if the anticipated reaction is not positive, will my request be denied?
A: You, your coworkers, or your supervisor likely have some thoughts and/or experience with how the Legislature and public may react. Advance knowledge of controversy and discord can help DHW make better and informed decisions. This does not mean requests that could cause controversy are automatically denied. But knowing of potential concerns in advance can help both you and leadership make informed decisions about if the need outweighs the risks, any preliminary steps that should be taken, if other options may be preferable, etc.
Q: Do surveys being distributed externally need to be routed through One Department?
A: Yes. It’s suggested to use the advertising campaign proposal form. Be sure to include a description of who will be surveyed, how it will be administered, survey questions, how the survey results will be used, and what the timeline is.
Send your One Department questions to Niki Forbing-Orr to be included in a future newsletter.
Learning and growth opportunities
☑️ Internal / ✅ External / ⭐ Idaho
☑️ ⭐ Need help with a communications or marketing project? | Start by visiting the DPH Communication Team page on SharePoint, which has step by step instructions for how to get started with Riester, and how to get started using internal resources.
☑️ ⭐ DPH November Open House materials | The slides from the DPH Open House for November are available on the DPH SharePoint site. A recording is not available because of technical issues. The DPH December Open House is scheduled for 1 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 18. 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 latest bulletin was published on Nov. 22 and established a new Division of State Care Facilities. 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 DPH Newsletter content to Niki.Forbing-Orr@dhw.idaho.gov. The next issue will come out the week of Dec. 11. We’ll take a holiday break until Jan. 8.