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Help Create a Magical Holiday for Idaho’s Foster Children: Join the Holiday Book Drive!
This holiday season, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare’s Family and Community Partnerships division is teaming up with Book It Forward! Idaho and Barnes & Noble to bring something truly special to children in foster care: the joy of receiving books chosen just for them.Books open doors to imagination, comfort, adventure, and belonging. Every child deserves that experience. With your help, we can make sure foster families across Idaho receive books that feel personal and
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Given an increased interest in the child welfare system, I would like to share a bit of the process and the role of the Department of Health and Welfare (DHW).
First, I need to be clear that specific child welfare cases are confidential, and we cannot release any details about
Idaho is working to reduce a concerning increase in overdoses and overdose-related deaths. Fentanyl-related overdose deaths are on a dramatic rise in Idaho.
To help address the impacts of fentanyl, Gov. Brad Little is launching an initiative called Operation Esto Perpetua with
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