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Take a walk for mental health awareness this May
Mental illness is a private medical condition that one in four Idahoans face, but just because it’s private doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be part of the public discourse.
Bringing mental health into the public conversation is the intent of the NAMI Walks, to be held in Idaho’s largest cities this May. NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) has held the walks in Boise in the past, but with the help of Rotary International, and Idaho’s local Rotarians, NAMI is stretching its legs
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RSV season has been officially declared in Idaho with virus activity increasing over the past two weeks across the state. There is no vaccine to protect against infection with RSV, but you can take action to help prevent spread. Many of the actions we recommended to prevent
It can be a scary thing to have a baby, even in the best of situations.
When situations are not the best, it can be downright terrifying.
In my best world, all babies would be born to parents who can care for them. While I would hope that no parent feels the need to give up
Each fall as the weather cools, the Department of Health and Welfare gets questions from anglers eager to cast lines in lakes or rivers where water quality warnings were made.
Water quality warnings are often because of detection of harmful cyanobacterial blooms
The weather in Idaho has officially tipped toward fall and winter, with cooler (even freezing!) temperatures, and more rain and snow. That means we’ll all be spending more time inside, and viruses like those that cause COVID-19 and the flu will become more widespread
There is no known safe level of lead in the human body. Children are especially at risk because their bodies absorb more lead than adults, and their nervous systems, including their brains, are not fully developed.
Lead is a naturally occurring metal, and
Preventing suicides and helping Idahoans who are experiencing a behavioral health crisis is an important priority for the Department of Health and Welfare. It’s so important that it’s one of four goals in our strategic plan. Goal 3 is to help Idahoans become as healthy and self-
In the last 30 days, Idaho has experienced eight earthquakes with a magnitude 2.5 or greater, all of them clustered in the Sawtooth or Salmon River mountains of central Idaho—and all of them relatively benign.
Most of central Idaho’s recent seismic activity
Influenza season is here, and now is the time to get your annual influenza (flu) vaccine, also known as the “flu shot.”
Although the U.S. has had mild flu seasons the last two winters, this flu season could be different. In the countries of the Southern
Women’s Health Check is a breast and cervical cancer screening and diagnostic testing program for low-income, uninsured women in Idaho. It is a valuable resource for eligible women to get screening services such as mammograms, Pap tests, pelvic exams, and other diagnostic
Tissue donors save and change lives, but it only works if donors are matched with people in need. Since 2013, the team at the Idaho State EMS Communications Center has been helping make that connection.
Many tissue donors are connected to patients through
The HIV, STD, and Hepatitis Section in the Division of Public Health has a big job – to prevent and treat HIV, sexually transmitted diseases (STD), and viral hepatitis in Idaho.
After people get HIV, they have it for life. There is no cure. But with proper medical care, HIV