Category: Director Updates

A Reminder from Director Dave Jeppesen: Choosing to get the COVID-19 Vaccine Will Protect Your Friends, Family, and Community

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As we catch a glimpse of normalcy returning to Idaho, we are feeling a sense of hope due to the arrival of three effective and safe COVID-19 vaccines. March Madness is back, friends and family are planning summer vacations, and Sunday dinners with vaccinated grandparents are (mostly) back on schedule.

But hope is fragile. It is based on our belief systems and our choices. It is based on the expectation of a positive ending. In this case, the end of the pandemic.

Hope, for me, is based on the choices thousands of Idahoans are making every day. Idahoans are choosing to get the vaccine. They are choosing to protect their friends, family, and community. They are choosing to keep schools open, support local businesses, and believe in the safety and effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine.  

I am encouraging all Idahoans to choose to get the COVID-19 vaccine. The COVID-19 vaccines have been tested by more than 70,000 Americans. Millions of Americans have now received the vaccine. It is safe and effective.

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From DHW Director Dave Jeppesen: Marking the milestone one-year anniversary of COVID-19 in Idaho

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The one-year anniversary of the first case of COVID-19 in Idaho is coming up on Saturday, March 13.

For many of us, it’s been the longest year of our lives. We’ve sacrificed gatherings with family and friends, hugs and in-person time with grandma and grandpa and other people at high-risk for serious illness, as well as travel and vacations. We have learned to work from home, or had our work dramatically reduced or stopped, and had our lives mostly upended by this insidious virus.

Many of us weren’t able to watch our kids at their sporting events and competitions. We’ve worn masks whenever we’re in public places where we can’t maintain at least 6 feet between us.

And too many of us have made the greatest involuntary sacrifice of all with the COVID-related death of a loved one.

I want to thank you all for the sacrifices you’ve made in the past year because of the pandemic. I know it has not been easy.

But I am encouraged by recent trends in COVID-19 data. Testing percent positivity is less than 5 percent and has been for the past couple of weeks. Case numbers have fallen and now seem to be leveling off. Hospitalizations have decreased. The number of Idahoans getting vaccinated increases each day.

Every day, we’re getting closer to getting back to normal.

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A reminder from DHW Director Dave Jeppesen: Idaho’s COVID-19 Vaccine Pre-Registration System launched today

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Due to overwhelming demand for the COVID-19 vaccine, many Idahoans have been unable to make an appointment to get a vaccination. Overwhelmed phone lines and websites at the public health districts and enrolled provider organizations has been frustrating for Idahoans. They have expressed their frustration on social media, in emails, and in phone calls.

Gov. Brad Little announced today through a press release that the State of Idaho has created a new COVID-19 vaccine appointment pre-registration solution to help alleviate the frustration of many Idahoans in trying to make an appointment to get the vaccine. The new system, called Idaho’s COVID-19 Vaccine Pre-Registration System, makes it easy for Idahoans to put their names on a waiting list.

This system allows Idahoans (and those who work in Idaho) who want to receive the COVID-19 vaccine to save their names to a statewide list. Vaccine providers can then easily find people who want the vaccine. By adding your name to the list, you are telling vaccine providers that you are interested in receiving the vaccine. You can add your name now, and you will be notified when you are eligible to receive the vaccine and a provider has vaccine available.

The new COVID-19 vaccine appointment pre-registration system is available at https://covidvaccine.idaho.gov/.

The new system is user-friendly. The instructions are in plain language. It was been built from the ground up, specifically for Idahoans.

I want to echo Gov. Little’s words – all Idahoans who choose to get the COVID-19 will be able to do so. It is our top priority.

One quick reminder: if you are in a priority group that is currently receiving the vaccine (e.g. 65 and older), make sure you pre-register through the new system so that an enrolled provider in your area can reach out to you and schedule your vaccine appointment.

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An update from DHW Director Dave Jeppesen: Working to prevent suicide in Idaho; Requiring proof of residency or work for COVID-19 vaccination

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Training 25,000 Idahoans to help prevent suicide

Suicide is a critical public health issue in Idaho. It brings tragic loss to families, friends, schools, and entire communities across the state each year. In 2018, Idaho had the 5th highest suicide rate in the U.S. There were nearly 24 suicides per 100,000 Idahoans. Despite this dark statistic, we can progress toward a brighter future because suicide is preventable.

Everyone in Idaho has an important role to play in changing these statistics. We, at the Department of Health and Welfare (DHW), are working toward a future where there are zero suicides in Idaho.

In our work toward this goal, one of our DHW strategic objectives is to reduce Idaho’s suicide rate by 20 percent by 2025. Part of this goal includes helping to deliver suicide awareness and prevention training, alongside our partners, to 25,000 Idahoans between 2018 and June 30, 2021. And we are nearly there. As of Feb. 11, we are 91 percent of the way to this goal; 22,763 Idahoans have participated in the training programs offered through our partnerships.

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From DHW Director Dave Jeppesen: Idaho is working on a vaccine pre-registration solution to help match Idahoans with enrolled vaccine providers

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We know you are frustrated

When Gov. Brad Little and I answered questions last Tuesday at the AARP Telephone Town-hall, we heard numerous Idahoans express their frustration at being unable to make a vaccine appointment because of overwhelmed phone lines and websites at the local public health districts and enrolled provider organizations.

The biggest issue, as we all are aware, is that the supply of the COVID-19 vaccine is not meeting the demand in Idaho and across the country. The allotment from our federal partners doesn’t meet the needs of Americans at this time. That is a frustration we, and many other states, are feeling. We are working with our federal partners, and we are hopeful this will change over time.

So I want to let you know that I hear you. I understand your frustration. Under Gov. Brad Little’s direction, DHW teams are working on a vaccine pre-registration solution. It will save you time and worry. When it is available, we will let you know through all available channels. Your ability to get a vaccine – should you choose to do so – is our top priority.

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An update from DHW Director Dave Jeppesen: Transparency data now available; working to meet the demand for the COVID-19 vaccine

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On Monday, Idaho began publishing a vaccine administration transparency data dashboard thanks to Gov. Brad Little’s Executive Order. The new tool shows the number of COVID-19 vaccine doses that individual providers and local public health districts have been distributed and the number of doses that remain for them to administer.

There are two “data dashboards” now – you can find the buttons to both of them on the home page of the coronavirus website. The button that provides enrolled provider vaccine administration data is called Vaccine Administration Transparency Data. The button that outlines data related to Idahoans getting the vaccine is called the COVID-19 Vaccine Data Dashboard.

Some details to keep in mind as you look at the new dashboard:

  • “Distributed doses” include first and second doses. Some doses that appear to have not been administered yet may be scheduled for an appointment or may not be reported in the state’s immunization system yet because providers have 72 hours to report after a dose has been given.
  • The number of doses that remain to be administered could include a share of second doses that arrived early and cannot be administered yet because the second dose must be given at least 21 days for Pfizer and 28 days for Moderna after the first use.
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All Idahoans who choose to get the COVID-19 vaccination will be able to do so: A reminder from DHW Director Dave Jeppesen

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Many of the questions we receive from the public are related to when and where they can get a COVID-19 vaccination. Because of the limited supply of the vaccine at this time, some people have not been able to get an appointment right away. I want to reassure everyone that anyone who wants to get the COVID-19 vaccination will be able to do so. We are committed to this, but it will take time because of the limited supply we are receiving here in Idaho.

Supply and demand

On Monday, Feb. 1, Idahoans 65 and older became eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccination, and it quickly became obvious that the demand is far greater than the supply. To put it in perspective, there are roughly 265,000 people in Idaho who are 65 and older, and Idaho is receiving about 25,000 doses a week. It will take several months to get through this group, so we are asking for patience. Everyone who chooses to get the vaccine will be able to do so, but the appointments will be spread out during the coming months.

You can find more information on when and where to get vaccinated on a new page on the DHW website. This page outlines who can get vaccinated (by age and job classification), where to go to find a provider and schedule an appointment (when there are appointments available), and what to expect at your appointment.

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From DHW Director Dave Jeppesen: We’re advancing telehealth for Idahoans

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  • 32,059%: Increase in telehealth behavioral health visits between March and July 2020, compared to March – July 2019
  • 12,681%: Increase in telehealth medical visits between March and July 2020, compared to March – July 2019

As Idahoans, we share a sense of pride that we live in such a beautiful state with rich and varied recreational, professional, and cultural opportunities. However, being a large mostly rural state not only brings many great benefits, it also brings a few challenges.

One challenge we face is access to affordable, quality healthcare. Idaho’s rapid population growth in urban areas, a shortage of healthcare professionals, and the difficulty of access to frontier areas create widespread barriers to healthcare access. To address these challenges, the Department of Health and Welfare (DHW) and our partners formed a Telehealth Task Force. The Task Force successfully developed recommendations to advance telehealth in Idaho, to ensure that Idahoans have convenient access to quality care, no matter where they live. These findings and recommendations are part of an effort to develop a more coordinated, broad approach to telehealth adoption.

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An update from DHW Director Dave Jeppesen: New grants available to COVID-19 vaccine provider organizations; Busting myths about vaccines

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Gov. Brad Little announced on Tuesday that new COVID-19 Vaccine Capacity, Safety, and Reporting Grants are available and can be used by enrolled vaccine provider organizations to increase staffing to administer shots, purchase needed equipment and supplies, and improve vaccine access for hard-to-reach and vulnerable populations. The amount each enrolled healthcare vaccine provider will receive is based on the number of doses they administer.

The mass vaccination of millions of people throughout the United States is unprecedented. It takes coordination of massive and disparate systems that starts with the manufacturing of the vaccine and ends with a shot in the arm. In addition, the ability of clinics, hospitals, pharmacies, and employers to ramp up to meet the demand takes the financial and logistical support of the federal and state government. In Idaho, we want to help our enrolled provider organizations hire medical staff, stand up clinics, and then schedule first and second doses for hundreds of thousands of Idahoans.

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From DHW Director Dave Jeppesen: Update on the COVID-19 vaccine in Idaho

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The COVID-19 vaccine is on the minds of Idahoans, and we appreciate your questions and your feedback.

I want to let the people of Idaho know that we hear you. We read your emails and your social media messages, and we take all of your phone calls to heart. We are grateful that so many of you have chosen to take the vaccine, and that you are ready to do so. Your commitment to participating in this exciting part of the pandemic response does not go unnoticed.

We are committed to doing everything we can to get the vaccines administered as quickly and safely as possible. There was a 67 percent increase in the number of doses administered the week of Jan. 4, and we expect the number of doses administered each week to continue to increase. We are committed to getting all the vaccine that Idaho is allocated shipped to Idaho as soon they become available. The vaccines are sent directly from the manufacturer to those who can administer them. We are committed to doing all we can to support providers so they can do their job of administering the vaccine. And we are committed to communicating with you as openly and as often as possible. These are our promises to you and the vaccine providers in Idaho.

I want to thank Gov. Brad Little for his budget proposal that includes $250 million to finish the fight against COVID-19. We are grateful for his leadership and commitment.

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