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From DHW Director Dave Jeppesen: Celebrate Idaho’s recovery community
This September, for the second year in a row, the Division of Behavioral Health’s Substance Use Disorder Services Program has published a booklet titled “Who’s Who, Idaho Recovery Month 2023.”
The booklet features stories about some of the incredible Idahoans who work in, work with, or are in the substance use disorder recovery community, and I’d encourage you to read about the inspiring people who are featured. At a time when deaths from addiction are at an all-time high, they
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Friday marks a day off for government workers to observe an important holiday: Veterans Day.
Nov. 11 was formerly called Armistice Day for the anniversary of the armistice that ended World War I in 1918. The federal legal holiday was observed on the fourth Monday in October in
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