Wear teal Thursday, April 19 for #SAAM! #MeToo and other ways you can get involved and prevent sexual violence in Idaho

Posted on April 18, 2018 by idhwmedia

Contributed by Kathleen Palmer, Sexual Violence Prevention Health Program Manager, Idaho Division of Public Health.

Did you know that April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month? Every year since 1970, the National Sexual Violence Resource Center has led the nation in recognizing ways to respond to and prevent sexual violence. In light of the #MeToo movement that has raised awareness of workplace sexual harassment, now is a great time to engage with sexual violence prevention efforts around Idaho and in the United States. Continue reading →

STDs are rising rapidly in Idaho – Here’s what you need to know to protect your health

Posted on April 17, 2018 by idhwmedia

Talk. Test. Treat. This is national Sexually Transmitted Disease Awareness Month and those are three simple things you can do to protect your health. Most people don’t really want to talk about sexually transmitted diseases, but the truth is that a hidden epidemic of STDs is happening in this country – and here in Idaho – right now. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 20 million new infections happen each year, and that there are now more than 110 million sexually transmitted infections in men and women in the United States. STDs can cause infertility, stillbirth, neonatal death and other health issues. Continue reading →

It’s the Week of the Young Child! We’re celebrating early learning, young children, teachers and Idaho families!

Posted on April 16, 2018 by idhwmedia

Contributed by: Ashtin Glōdt, Program Specialist, Maternal, Infant, Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program, Idaho Department of Health and Welfare

The Week of the Young Child is an annual celebration hosted by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). From April 16 to 21, Idahoans will be celebrating early learning, young children, their teachers, and families.

Locally, the Idaho Association for the Education of Young Children (Idaho AEYC) leads the celebration efforts with community events across the state. This year the Idaho AEYC will be holding a FREE family-friendly outdoor celebration at the Boise Botanical Gardens on Saturday, April 21^st. Visit idahoaeyc.org for more information about community events and how to get involved in the Idaho AEYC. Continue reading →

Idaho E. coli infections linked to romaine lettuce from Yuma, Ariz.

Posted on April 13, 2018 by idhwmedia

Public health officials in Idaho are investigating an outbreak of E. coli infections that are linked to a national outbreak affecting at least 10 other states.

Chopped romaine lettuce

At this time, eight Idaho residents have become sick with E. coli infections. All eight people who have become ill report eating romaine lettuce in the 10 days prior to becoming ill. Three individuals were hospitalized, and two have developed kidney failure linked to the E. coli infection. All hospitalized individuals were adults between the ages of 20 and 55. No deaths have been linked to this outbreak.

Initial investigations by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and public health officials in affected states indicate that chopped romaine lettuce from the Yuma, Ariz., growing region, could be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7 and causing illness. No common grower, supplier, distributor, or brand has been identified yet. Continue reading →

Idaho health agencies and EMS join Boise hospitals in national exercise to transport patients with highly infectious disease

Posted on April 11, 2018 by idhwmedia

Photo courtesy of Idaho Department of Health and Welfare / Chris Smith
A role-playing “patient” is prepared for boarding a Kalitta Air 747 medical transport aircraft through the nose cone as part of a full-scale emergency preparedness exercise to rehearse capabilities for moving patients with highly infectious diseases, such as Ebola. Four “patients” were transported Wednesday morning from Saint Alphonsus Health System and St. Luke’s Health System by Ada County Paramedics and St. Luke’s Air to the Boise Airport.

BOISE – State, local and national emergency personnel rehearsed moving patients with highly infectious disease in Boise today as part of the largest national preparedness exercise of its kind in U.S. Department of Health and Human Services history.

The three-day exercise culminated Wednesday at the Boise Airport/Gowen Field, where four role-playing patients were loaded onto a Kalitta Air 747 medical transport aircraft and flown to regional treatment centers in Spokane, Wash., and Los Angeles, Calif. Idaho does not have the capability to treat patients with highly infectious diseases such as Ebola.

The drill started early Monday morning when people acting as patients with Ebola symptoms arrived at Treasure Valley healthcare facilities. The patients were cared for at the clinics and hospitals, then transported by ambulance to other facilities, before eventually being moved to the Boise Airport and transferred into the medical transport aircraft.

Participants behaved throughout the exercise as if the incident was real, taking necessary actions and employing appropriate resources to manage and protect the patients, the workforce and the environment, as well as safely transport the patients. Continue reading →

Respect, Ask, Intervene, Notice & Nurture: Preventing sexual assault in Idaho

Posted on April 10, 2018 by idhwmedia

The #MeToo movement on social media has really highlighted the idea that sexual assault is a significant concern for everyone. According to the 2012 National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, 2 in 5 women and 1 in 5 men in Idaho have experienced sexual violence in their lifetime. Since April is Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, it’s a good time to learn how to support survivors and spread awareness. Continue reading →

News from DHW: BYU-Idaho professor Timothy Rarick of Rexburg named to Board of Health and Welfare

Posted on April 5, 2018 by idhwmedia

New IDHW board member Timothy Rarick, Ph.D.

Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter has appointed Rexburg resident Timothy Rarick, Ph.D., to a four-year term on the Idaho Board of Health and Welfare. Rarick is a professor in the Department of Home and Family at Brigham Young University-Idaho and co-founder of the family life education blog FamilyGoodThings.com.

Writing, blogging, teaching, advocating and speaking extensively as “Dr. Tim” on parenting principles, child development, the family as the fundamental unit of society, fatherhood, and other topics, Rarick brings a research-based perspective on children, parents, and families to the board. He also serves on the advisory board for United Families International, the board of Educate Empower Kids, and has spoken several times during the Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations. Continue reading →

DHW: Promoting and protecting the health and safety of Idahoans

Cultivating a common-sense discussion of health and human service issues