The Department of Health and Welfare’s innovative and award-winning social and community service referral website, “Live Better Idaho,” will be featured in an upcoming segment of “Informed,” a short-form documentary series that is distributed to Public Television stations in all 50 states and hosted by actor Rob Lowe. Continue reading “IDHW’s “Live Better Idaho” website to be featured on Public Television’s “Informed” series”
Idaho’s Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) will implement new income guidelines effective July 1, 2017, that raise household income eligibility limits to help offset cost of living increases. This is an annual adjustment.
To be eligible for the WIC program, an individual must be a pregnant or breastfeeding woman, a woman who has recently been pregnant, or an infant or child younger than 5 years old. In addition, the individual must live in Idaho, have a special need that can be helped by WIC foods and nutrition counseling, and have a low-to-moderate income.
To be eligible on the basis of income, an applicant’s gross income (e.g., before taxes are withheld) must fall at or below 185 percent of the U.S. Poverty Income Guidelines. For example, under the new guidelines a family of three can earn up to $37,777 annually; under the old guidelines a family of three could have earned up to $37,296 annually. Continue reading “Idaho WIC makes annual adjustment to income guidelines”
Keeping children safe is one of our primary goals at the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare. This month is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, so it’s a good time talk about what you should do if you think a child might be neglected or abused.
If you suspect a child is abused or neglected, what should you do?
We hope you’ll care enough to call 1-855-552-KIDS. If you even suspect that a child is being mistreated, you are required by law to call and report it. Your call is confidential, and you don’t have to prove neglect or abuse. That’s the job of law enforcement and social workers. You just need to let us know you think there might be an issue, so our child protection staff can start looking into it. Continue reading “Please help Idaho’s children by reporting suspected abuse or neglect (It’s the law!)”
It’s harvest time! We have more fresh, in-season fruits and vegetables to choose from at this time of year than at any other time of year, it seems. Eating a plant-based diet is important for our overall health, and yet most of us don’t eat enough fruits and vegetables every day. But with all the different kinds of fresh produce available now in our gardens as well as markets and grocery stores, now is a great time to make a point of eating more fruits and veggies.
Idahoans aren’t all that different from residents in other states; we all need to eat more fruits and vegetables, which would help manage many of our health issues, including obesity. Just about 29 percent of adults in Idaho are obese, according to Better Policies for a Healthier America. Idaho ranks 29th compared to other states; Arkansas has the highest adult obesity rate at 35.9 percent, while Colorado has the lowest, at 21.3 percent. Continue reading “Mom is right: Eat your fruits and veggies!”
DHW Voice 