In his 2022 budget, Idaho Gov. Brad Little included $15 million to establish facilities called psychiatric residential treatment facilities (PRTFs). They provide children with inpatient psychiatric services that are not offered at Idaho’s existing facilities.

In December, the Department of Health and Welfare (DHW) awarded grants totaling $15 million to three partners that can serve different parts of Idaho. They are the Idaho Youth Ranch in southwest Idaho, Northwest Children’s Home in northern Idaho, and Jackson House in eastern Idaho. The new facilities will provide 80 or more beds for children who need this level of treatment.

What this means for Idahoans is that children and youth with complex mental health needs will receive care closer to their families. They’ll have someplace to go rather than being treated at a hospital emergency department or being sent to a treatment facility outside Idaho.

This level of mental healthcare doesn’t currently exist in Idaho, so these three new facilities will fill a critical gap in our system of care for children and youth. Previously, around 100 kids were getting treatment in other states because we didn’t have these service in Idaho.

The $15 million in earmarked funds were approved by the Idaho Legislature in 2022. DHW conducted a series of community stakeholder engagement sessions to clarify how best to meet the need.

We’re confident these partnerships will further Idaho’s ability to serve children with complex mental health diagnoses in Idaho. This will also reduce the need for children to leave the estate for care, and that will directly benefit Idaho families.

Ross Edmunds is administrator for the Division of Behavioral Health and has worked for DHW for 25 years.

The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare is dedicated to strengthening the health, safety, and independence of Idahoans. Learn more at healthandwelfare.idaho.gov. 

The Idaho State Behavioral Health Planning Council (BHPC) has shared State of Mind 2022, its annual report, with the Governor’s Office, the Idaho Legislature, and the Idaho Judiciary. The report evaluates the value of behavioral health services for adults and children provided by the state of Idaho.  

The BHPC was formed in 2014 with the passage of Senate Bill 1224 in the Idaho Legislature. It has 21 members from across Idaho, including two from the Department of Health and Welfare. Its mission is to promote advocacy, collaboration, education, and policy development to create a seamless behavioral health delivery system. The BHPC should not be confused with the Idaho Behavioral Health Council, which was formed by Gov. Brad Little and is tasked with developing a strategic plan for the behavioral health system in Idaho. 

The report contains valuable information about the complex work being done in Idaho to support people with behavioral health issues. It opens with updates from partners including the Division of Medicaid, Idaho Office of Drug Policy, Idaho Department of Juvenile Corrections, Idaho Department of Correction, and the Division of Behavioral Health.  

Idaho’s seven regional behavioral health crisis centers contribute information on client populations, demographic data, staff training, and the impacts they have on their communities. The crisis centers are open 24/7 to people 18 and older who need assistance with behavioral health issues. These privately contracted crisis centers use state funds to help operate their facilities and are monitored by staff in the Division of Behavioral Health. 

The report also contains an update from DisAbility Rights Idaho (DRI) that focuses on protecting and serving Idahoans with disabilities, as well as input from each of Idaho’s seven regional behavioral health boards. 

According to the regional behavioral health boards, the 10 most critical gaps and needs in Idaho overall are: 

• Access to treatment providers 
• Stable housing 
• Child/adolescent mental healthcare 
• Substance use disorder treatment centers 
• Crisis intervention treatment for law enforcement 
• Suicide prevention 
• Peer support 
• Caregiver support 
• Anti-stigma education 
• Community crisis centers 

As we continue to promote recovery and help Idahoans get the behavioral health services they need when they need them, I encourage you to read the report for insights and opportunities for improvement for behavioral health in Idaho. 

I hope you have a safe and healthy weekend. 

The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare is dedicated to strengthening the health, safety, and independence of Idahoans. Learn more at healthandwelfare.idaho.gov.  

Most poisoning emergencies are unexpected and happen quickly in our homes. A majority of non-fatal poisonings involve children younger than 6. For adults, poisoning is the number one cause of injury death in the United States. This week is National Poison Prevention Week, so it’s a good time to think about what you would do in a poisoning emergency.

Are young children most at risk for a poisoning accident?

Poisoning is one of the leading causes of unintentional injury deaths among all Idahoans, with children younger than 6 being most at risk. It is extremely important for those caring for small children to keep potentially poisonous items out of their reach. The Nebraska Regional Poison Center, which receives all of Idaho’s poison emergency calls, had more than 14,000 calls last year from Idaho residents. Almost half of those calls were from parents of children ages 6 and younger.

What are the most dangerous poisons for children?

The leading causes of poisoning in young children are things we commonly have in our homes and include household cleaning supplies; cosmetics and personal care products; aspirin, acetaminophen, ibuprofen; vitamins and supplements; and toys and other foreign objects children can swallow. Many of the poison center’s calls from Idaho relate to children younger than 6 and household cleaning supplies, with 10,296 calls for liquid laundry detergents.

What are some things we can do to protect our children?

The first thing you should do is add the poison control number to your contact list in your cell phone or post it near your phone at home. That number is 1-800-222-1222. You can also order poison prevention materials with the number on them from the Idaho CareLine, which you can reach by dialing 2-1-1. The poison center is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and is staffed with health professionals who have had special training in poison management.

What else can be done in the home?

Store all of your medications, laundry detergent, and cleaning supplies in cabinets that children can’t open. Teach your children to take medicine only with permission and guidance from a parent or trusted adult. Laundry detergent pods MUST be kept out of sight and reach of children. Us the locks on laundry pod containers every time after removing a pod. Identify the plants in your house or yard – some may be dangerous if they are eaten. Remove them or move them to a place where curious children can’t get to them.

What should we do if we think we have a poisoning incident?

Call 911 immediately if a person has collapsed or stopped breathing. If the person is awake and alert, call the poison control number. When you call, try to have the person’s age and weight, the container of whatever it is the person ate or drank, how long ago they consumed it, and your location. Then stay on the phone and follow instructions.

Anything else?

Other household poisons are difficult to detect and include lead, radon, and carbon monoxide. There are lots of resources and fact sheets for those as well as poisoning information at DHW’s website at www.healthandwelfare.idaho.gov.

Other resources:

• DHW poison response page: https://healthandwelfare.idaho.gov/health-wellness/emergency-planning/poison-response
• CDC Poisoning Prevention: https://www.cdc.gov/safechild/poisoning/index.html
• Poison Control Poisonous and non-poisonous plants: https://www.poison.org/articles/plant

Brigitta Gruenberg is the Environmental Health Program manager in the Division of Public Health.  

The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare is dedicated to strengthening the health, safety, and independence of Idahoans. Learn more at healthandwelfare.idaho.gov. 

DHW is dedicated to making sure children who have experienced abuse or neglect have safe, permanent homes. We are also focused on improving the behavioral health system for Idaho’s young people and the crisis care system for adults with developmental disabilities.  

The second goal in our Strategic Plan captures this dedication and represents some of the most challenging yet rewarding work we do at the Department of Health and Welfare. 

We’ve established three areas of focus for this goal.  

Make sure children who have experienced abuse or neglect can get preventative services, preferably in their homes.  

Children and families do much better overall when they can receive services in their homes. There are several work streams at DHW to support this.  

• A workgroup is meeting monthly to enact a standardized preventative in-home case management structure in each region of the state.  
• The Division of Family and Community Services is working to provide or contract with at least three evidence-based services for in-home and foster care cases throughout the state. The 2023 Idaho Legislature approved rules that allow Family and Community Services to post reimbursement rates for these evidence-based services.   
• The division is also implementing a family risk assessment tool that identifies needs and services to be delivered through in-home prevention case management. Staff are being trained to use the new tool, and those who complete training and certification will soon begin using it for specific cases. 
• The division is working to shorten the time it takes to achieve permanency  for children in foster care as in-home and evidence-based interventions become available in Idaho.  
• The division has improved staff retention in important areas such as safety assessment, case management, licensing, and permanency. I’m very pleased to report that staffing is steady, and positions are filled.  

Develop and implement a behavioral healthcare system in Idaho that provides the services people need when they need them through the Youth Empowerment Services program and the Idaho Behavioral Health Council’s strategic action plan.  

• We’re currently distributing funding budgeted by Gov. Brad Little and the 2022 Idaho Legislature to establish psychiatric residential treatment facilities in three areas of the state, which will allow more children to receive needed services in Idaho, as well as certified community behavioral health clinics. Funds for Recovery Centers have also been approved by the Idaho Legislature and will be distributed soon.  
• The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline was launched last summer and was the first step to provide expanded access to emergency behavioral healthcare services. Work continues to expand emergency services available through the lifeline.  
• We’ve initiated work to develop a better service coordination system for Idahoans with developmental disabilities and mental illness.  

Implement three new crisis system components for adults with developmental disabilities so they can access a full continuum of crisis care that keeps them in their communities whenever possible.  

• The Division of Medicaid is working with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on a strategy to reimburse for campus residential services and specialized teams to serve adults with developmental disabilities.  
• Medicaid is working to submit state plan amendments to CMS that would allow for new services to be covered under Medicaid for adults with developmental disabilities.  
• Family and Community Services has received initial approval for funding for a new program called START, which stands for Systemic, Therapeutic, Assessment, Resources, and Treatment. It will improve the quality and effectiveness of the division’s crisis prevention work with this group of people at the Southwest Idaho Treatment Center and in Idaho communities.  
• Family and Community Services is also evaluating new elements to determine whether they should be included in the new crisis system model.  

More details about all of this work can be found in our Strategic Plan, under Goal 2.  

I hope you have a safe and healthy weekend.  

The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare is dedicated to strengthening the health, safety, and independence of Idahoans. Learn more at healthandwelfare.idaho.gov.  

During the COVID-19 pandemic, federal regulators allowed some flexibility in who could be defined as a Personal Care Services (PCS) caregiver. DHW received approval to allow agencies to hire parents of minor children and spouses as paid caregivers. The flexibility, however, was granted under the federal public health emergency.

Health and Human Services has declared that the end of the federal public health emergency will be May 11. Since this announcement, the department has heard from families asking about the increased flexibility for Personal Care Services and Attendant Care Services continuing.

The department is working to get federal approval to extend the ability to pay parents and spouses as caregivers. The department recently applied for a Medicaid waiver to allow for an additional 60 days, through July 11.

The department is researching several options to extend this flexibility permanently while addressing the complicated regulatory challenges.

We hope to have a solution identified in the coming weeks that would allow for parents of minor children and spouses to continue to care for their loved ones in extraordinary circumstances when there are no other options for care available.

William Deseron is a program manager in the Idaho Medicaid Policy Unit.

The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare is dedicated to strengthening the health, safety, and independence of Idahoans. Learn more at healthandwelfare.idaho.gov.  

Every child should grow up happy and healthy in a safe, loving home.  Child and Family Services in the Department of Health and Welfare is committed to making sure children in Idaho who are at risk of child abuse, neglect, or abandonment are safe and supported.  

We believe the best approach to support and protect children is to strengthen their families so they can remain safely in their homes.   

The federal government agrees. The Family First Prevention Services Act allows funding for services to families whose children may be at risk of entering foster care. The act allows states with an approved prevention plan to use federal funding for evidence-based services to prevent removal of children when their families need help with: 

• Mental health services 
• Substance use treatment  
• In-home parenting skills training 

Idaho recently received notice from the U.S. Children’s Bureau that our Five-Year Prevention Plan has been approved. This means we can use federal funding to provide services to families that have a child or children identified as candidates for foster care.  

It’s great news for families in Idaho who are struggling.  

Selected services and programs will help keep children with their parents or legal caretakers when it is safe to do so, while addressing the safety and risk issues they face. These services are: 

• Parent Child Interaction Therapy  
• Brief Strategic Family Therapy  
• Familias Unidas  
• Motivational Interviewing  
• Homebuilders  
• Nurse Family Partnership  
• Parents as Teachers 

Many of these services are not currently offered in Idaho. Over the next several months, Child and Family Services will provide information sessions statewide for organizations to learn more about the services needed to support families in their communities.  For more information or to be included on the mailing list for this information, email FamilyFirstInquiry@dhw.idaho.gov. 

While Child and Family Services has always worked to support families to safely care for their children in their homes, the ability to use federal funding for prevention services will provide greater access and support to families as they work to address issues and keep their children at home instead of in foster care.  

Read the full Prevention Plan at https://publicdocuments.dhw.idaho.gov/WebLink/DocView.aspx?id=25166&dbid=0&repo=PUBLIC-DOCUMENTS 

It’s National Social Work Month – thank social workers and their allies today!  

I wanted to take a moment to honor all the social workers and their allies who dedicate their professional lives to making life better for others, in DHW and throughout Idaho. These helping professionals work everywhere — hospitals, mental health care facilities, child welfare agencies, schools, veteran centers, and in local, state, and federal government. 

They touch so many parts of our lives and do work that can be extremely rewarding even as it’s also extremely challenging. If you know a social worker or someone who is an ally, please thank them for their service and commitment to helping others.  

I hope you have a safe and healthy weekend!   

The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare is dedicated to strengthening the health, safety, and independence of Idahoans. Learn more at healthandwelfare.idaho.gov.  

Groundwater—water that comes from the ground via wells—is the water most of us drink every day. People also use water for numerous activities including bathing, cooking, recreating, cooling, manufacturing, food production, and medical use.

Approximately 95% of Idaho’s drinking water comes from ground water sources, with the remaining 5% supplied through surface water sources like lakes and rivers. This is one of the key reasons protecting groundwater is an important priority, and everyone’s responsibility. If you have a well, you should test it at least annually for contaminants and conduct routine inspections to ensure it is operating properly to protect your family. 

Most of the time you can assume groundwater is safe, but sometimes it can become contaminated with bacteria, viruses, parasites, and chemicals, such as fertilizers and pesticides. In addition, there are many natural germs and harmful chemicals that can get in groundwater from the environment, such as arsenic, nitrate, and radon.

Contamination is commonly caused from the incorrect use of fertilizers and pesticides; poorly situated, built, or maintained septic systems; improper removal of storage wastes; mining and construction; and chemical spills.

All of these contamination situations can result in illness among many people..

National Groundwater Awareness Week runs March 6 - 12 and is a great time to learn where your drinking water comes from and how to protect it.

Please visit the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare’s Environmental Health webpage or contact the department at 800-445-8647 for more information on how you can protect your groundwater, including testing and maintenance.

Brigitta Gruenberg is the Environmental Health Program manager in the Division of Public Health.  

The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare is dedicated to strengthening Idahoans' health, safety, and independence. Learn more at healthandwelfare.idaho.gov.

Four new youth crisis centers in Idaho will make it easier and faster for young Idahoans to get help when they’re experiencing a behavioral health crisis.

In December, the Department of Health and Welfare and the Idaho Department of Juvenile Corrections finished awarding grant funding to four applicants to operate four youth behavioral health community crisis centers. Locations will be Caldwell, Boise, Twin Falls, and Idaho Falls and should open later this year.

They will operate every day all year to provide evaluation, intervention, and referrals for youth experiencing a crisis due to serious mental illness or substance use disorder. We expect the centers will reduce the rate of youth hospitalization and incarceration in Idaho.

Youth can stay at one of the centers for up to 23 hours and 59 minutes. They will receive a place to rest, food, and services from mental health professionals to stabilize the crisis, develop a plan of care, and have access to:

• 24-hour crisis hotline
• Medical screening
• Assessment
• Crisis intervention services
• Community-based referrals

The initiative to establish youth community crisis centers was a recommendation from the Idaho Behavioral Health Council (IBHC), which was created by the Governor, the Legislature and the Idaho Supreme Court.

Idaho Gov. Brad Little adopted the IBHC’s recommendation as part of his Leading Idaho plan, which expanded behavioral health resources by $50 million. In 2022, the Legislature allocated a one-time general fund appropriation of $4.42 million to support development of the youth community crisis centers.

While this is an accomplishment for elected and appointed officials, the real winners will be Idaho’s youth in crisis. By giving young people places to go for help, we hope to see a better outcomes for youth experiencing a behavioral health crisis.

Have a safe and healthy weekend.

The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare is dedicated to strengthening the health, safety, and independence of Idahoans. Learn more at healthandwelfare.idaho.gov.  

Gastrointestinal illness caused by norovirus has been making news the past week, with well-publicized outbreaks in the United Kingdom and New York City, but Idaho is not experiencing more cases than we would expect. We typically see increases in illness due to norovirus during the winter months.

The number of norovirus cases reported during December 2022 through January 2023 is about what we would expect based on the number of cases reported in previous years. Idaho had 48 cases reported during December 2022 through January 2023. By comparison, case counts during December and January in previous winters ranged from a low of 26 to a high of 77.

With or without high case rates, however, norovirus causes a nasty illness that’s best avoided, if possible.

How common is norovirus?

Norovirus tends to be thought of as a cruise ship illness because outbreaks on ships sound like a terrible vacation – and that’s when the media tends to cover it most. But for most of us, there’s a better chance of becoming infected in common public places such as restaurants or big events and in places where people gather and share bathrooms, such as nursing homes, day cares, schools, and camps.  It’s so highly contagious – a very small amount of the virus can make you sick. Norovirus is the most common cause of gastroenteritis in the United States, and the leading cause of foodborne illness. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 19 to 21 million cases of acute gastroenteritis are caused by norovirus each year.

What does norovirus do to us?

It’s not pleasant. Norovirus causes inflammation of the stomach and intestines. That leads to stomach cramping, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. The virus is found in the vomit and stool of infected people. Other symptoms include stomach pain, fever, headache, and body aches. Some people call it the “stomach flu,” but it is not related to influenza virus.

Who is at risk?

Everyone is at risk, but the very young and old and those with chronic conditions are more likely to get sick. It’s estimated that on average,  a person will get norovirus five times in their life.

Most people recover in about three days, but the virus causes up to 70,000 hospitalizations and up to 800 deaths a year in the United States.

How does a person become infected?

Norovirus is very infectious and easily spread. You can become infected  through contaminated drinks and foods, touching contaminated surfaces, and through direct contact with infected people. Food and drinks become contaminated by infected food handlers, placing food on contaminated surfaces, or food being grown in or harvested with contaminated water. Any shared surface such as door handles, shopping carts, and light switches can become contaminated when an infected person doesn’t thoroughly wash their hands after using the bathroom. Having direct contact with or caring for someone who is infected is also a way the virus is spread.

How long are people contagious?

People are most contagious from when they start to feel sick until at least three days after they recover. Some people are contagious for even longer. That’s why it’s so important to stay home when you feel sick and always wash your hands after using the bathroom. If you think you have norovirus, see your doctor, but also make sure to drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration, which can set in quickly.

So how can we protect ourselves?

There is no vaccine to prevent norovirus or any medication to treat it. The best way to protect yourself is to wash your hands often, but especially after using the toilet or changing a diaper, and always before eating or preparing food.

Other ways to reduce the risk of infection include thoroughly washing fruits and vegetables, and cooking oysters and other shellfish thoroughly before eating them. Also, don’t prepare food for others while you are sick and for at least three days after you recover.

Potentially contaminated surfaces should be cleaned with a bleach-based cleaner or other disinfectant labelled as EPA-registered against norovirus. Any contaminated clothing or blankets also should be washed and dried.

• CDC norovirus website: www.cdc.gov/norovirus
• CDC National Outbreak Reporting System dashboard: https://wwwn.cdc.gov/norsdashboard/

Dr. Katheryn Turner is deputy state epidemiologist in the Division of Public Health. 

The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare is dedicated to strengthening the health, safety, and independence of Idahoans. Learn more at healthandwelfare.idaho.gov.