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New handbook equips foster families with important tools
The new foster parent handbook, A Guide to Fostering in Idaho: Nurturing Kids, Building Families, was recently mailed to Idaho foster families. Designed for both new and experienced foster parents, the handbook serves as a guide and a support system, addressing many of the questions and challenges foster families encounter.The handbooks were mailed to foster parents late last
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As the director of the Department of Health and Welfare, one of the most meaningful things I do is sign legal adoption forms for Idaho foster children. I always do it at the end of the day because it leaves me very emotional. I have read every one of the over 1,000 adoptions
Getting screened for colorectal cancer is something Idahoans aged 45 and older should consider because it is the second-leading cause of cancer deaths among adults in Idaho. In fact, 3,194 cases of malignant colorectal cancer were diagnosed among Idahoans from 2015-2019, and
During 2021, we continued to serve Idahoans during the pandemic. Even though COVID-19 dominated the airwaves and remained top of mind for our employees and the public, there were many other services to provide and needs to be met. Whatever the need is – financial, physical, or
Things are looking better on the COVID-19 front than they have in a long time, and we’re all ready to shed some of those precautions we’ve been taking for so long. However, the virus is still circulating, and we need to continue to manage our risk
Making progress toward Strategic Goal 4: Strengthen the public’s trust and confidence in the Department of Health and Welfare
Protecting the health, safety, and independence of Idaho’s most vulnerable populations is a crucial task entrusted to Department of Health and Welfare (
At the Department of Health and Welfare, we have a new and important program called Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD). It is designed to increases awareness of risk-reduction and early-detection methods for Idahoans when it comes to Alzheimer’s Disease and related
As of Feb. 14, there are at least 32,100 outstanding positive lab reports that have not been reviewed by the local public health districts. Many of those lab records will result in new cases of COVID-19 being added to the dashboard. However, some reports are additional test
It is my honor to serve the people of Idaho.
I became the director of Idaho’s Department of Health and Welfare (DHW) in January 2019. I came to state government from the private sector, and I looked forward to a new challenge. I didn’t know what to expect, but I was committed
The number of children ages 5-11 years vaccinated against COVID-19 in Idaho remains very low, at less than 15 percent. We understand parents have questions about the vaccines and how safe they are for their children. Please consider the information below, and talk to your
Misinformation is circulating in Idaho across social media and other communication channels that could be, unfortunately, harmful to the health of Idahoans.
You
Idaho is feeling the effects of a nationwide shortage of blood, driven by a variety of factors. It’s the worst shortage in more than a decade, according to the American Red Cross. The shortage is helping fuel the need for part of the state to be in crisis standards of care