The Department of Health and Welfare (DHW) has engaged with our Strategic Plan as a “living” document. Each week, the senior leadership team discusses real-time updates. This work is informed by subject matter experts and the staff throughout the department.

As part of Strategic Goal 2, the department is committed to serving Idahoans by ensuring that:

• All children who experience abuse or neglect have safe and permanent homes, as quickly as possible

• Adults with serious mental illness and addiction can receive behavioral healthcare services

• People with developmental disabilities who have severe behaviors receive services that are person-centered, trauma-informed, and delivered in the least restrictive environment possible

• We improve the treatment and support provided to children and youth with functional impairment, and to their families

This blog post highlights and celebrates some of the key achievements from the second of four goals in our Strategic Plan. Throughout May and June, this blog series will continue with a focus on the third and fourth strategic goals.

Making progress toward Strategic Goal 2: Protect children, youth, and vulnerable adults

Objective 2.1: Ensure children who have experienced abuse or neglect have safe, permanent homes by increasing in-home safety services to prevent the entry of children into foster care by July 1, 2022, and improving children in foster care’s time to permanency by 10 percent, by July 1, 2023.

• Children who have experienced abuse or neglect need to have safe, permanent homes. DHW staff have been working to expand both the quality and quantity of in-home safety services. In-home safety services focus on keeping children safely with their families to avoid the trauma that results when children are placed in out-of-home care. This work has begun in Region 1 (Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, Kootenai, and Shoshone counties) and Region 5 (Blaine, Camas, Cassia, Gooding, Jerome, Lincoln, Minidoka, and Twin Falls counties), and will continue to be expanded throughout the state.
• The department is working to develop evidence-based services for in-home and foster care cases. Evidence-based services have been shown, through rigorous evaluation, to improve outcomes for children and families. The department’s Family First Team has selected seven evidence-based services to develop throughout the year: Parent Child Interactive Therapy, Homebuilders, Familias Unidas, Brief Strategic Family Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Parents as Teachers (PAT), and Nurse Family Partnerships (NFP).
• The department is working on a risk assessment tool for families that identifies needed planning and/or service provisions to be delivered through in-home prevention case management. The tool is called Family Advocacy Support Tool (FAST). It will monitor safety and risk and target needs and services. An implementation workgroup has formed, which includes DHW staff from the Division Behavioral Health and Child Welfare Program, front-line staff, the Praed Foundation, and parents with lived experience.
• The department has successfully designated more than six Idaho facilities as Qualified Residential Treatment Programs (QRTP). These treatment centers work with youth struggling with psychological, behavioral, and/or substance use issues to provide live-in services for those who are too ill or require services that are not available in a less secure or less restrictive environment.
• To support child welfare, the department has set a goal of improving the retention rate for child welfare social workers. The Idaho Legislature expressed support of this initiative through the approval of 24 new child welfare positions, as well as a 7 percent increase for some social workers. However, staffing challenges persist, and the department continues to develop new strategies to recruit and retain staff.

Objective 2.2: Develop and implement a behavioral healthcare system in Idaho that provides the services that people need, when they need them, through implementation of the YES implementation plan and the IBHC strategic action plan by July 1, 2024.

• The Idaho Behavioral Health Council’s completed strategic action plan was submitted in July 2021. This plan is focused on improving the entire behavioral healthcare system. The department is leading the work of six of the nine prioritized recommendations from the approved plan.
• The department is also working to implement the Youth Empowerment Services (YES) plan to improve the children’s mental health system. This progress is measured by an improvement of the cumulative Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) score. The CANS score can help providers and families measure improvement toward goals and see how needs and strengths change. In July 2019, the score was 23.37 percent. As of March 2022, the CANS score increased to 35.58 percent. As the department continues to introduce new services for these children, we anticipate more improvements.
• The department has organized a service system between Children’s Mental Health, Medicaid, and Child Welfare programs, as directed by the Legislature. This work has included focus groups with families, law enforcement, and hospitals. The system has been enacted and the team continues to meet as needed to assist with complex cases throughout the state.
• A cross-divisional team is working toward a better service coordination system for Idahoans with developmental disabilities and mental illness. This is intended to improve customer experience as measured by the establishment of a Customer Effort Score.
• The department and stakeholders are on track to implement a 988 system/Behavioral Healthcare crisis line by July 16, 2022. The system will provide access to emergency behavioral healthcare services to Idahoans experiencing a behavioral health crisis. The Idaho Legislature has supported progress on this work through funding approvals.

Objective 2.3: Establish a long-term system of care for individuals with developmental disabilities who exhibit severe behaviors by July 1, 2022.

• A cross-divisional project team has been established to develop the new treatment model for people with developmental disorders and complex needs.
• To build support for initial execution of the long-term system of care, the department has developed and implemented a communications plan with staff and key stakeholders.
• The project team has launched new treatment model design elements. These include a signed contract with the Center for START to provide best practice training and implementing participant outcome tools to gather baseline data for the future model.
• On Jan. 31, 2022, I presented a budget request to the Idaho Legislature to propose funding for the new treatment model, including development of buildings, and changes to the Medicaid Management Information System. The requests were subsequently funded.

You can follow the DHW’s work toward our mission and read more about our Strategic Plan on our website.

I hope you have a safe and healthy Memorial Day weekend. Please remember that our offices will be closed on Monday, in observance of the holiday.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has expanded and strengthened its recommendation for COVID-19 booster shots.

CDC expanded booster recommendations to children 5 through 11 years old. As cases increase in Idaho and across the country, a booster dose can help vaccinated children avoid getting sick enough to have to go to the hospital. Since the pandemic began, more than 4.8 million children ages 5 through 11 have been diagnosed with COVID-19. Of those, 15,000 have been hospitalized and, tragically, more than 180 have died, the CDC said last week in its statement.

Who should get a booster now?

Everyone 5 years old and older should get a COVID-19 booster dose after they have received the primary series of the vaccine. Those who got Moderna or Pfizer vaccines are eligible 5 months after the initial series, and those who got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine are eligible at least two months after the first dose. Pfizer is currently the only vaccine recommended for children ages 5-17.

In addition, CDC strengthened its recommendation that those 12 and older who are immunocompromised and those 50 and older should receive a second booster dose at least 4 months after their first.

Why should vaccinated people get a booster dose now?

COVID-19 cases are increasing in Idaho, as the latest data shows. Protection from COVID-19 vaccines decreases over time, and the virus continues to change and may infect more people. A booster dose will improve your level of protection against the virus so you can avoid getting sick enough to have to go to the hospital, or worse.

How do I get a booster dose?

There are a few ways to schedule an appointment for a COVID-19 vaccine or booster.

• Use the Vaccine Finder to find more information about vaccine locations, the vaccine brands available, and walk-in or scheduling details.
• If you have a cell phone, you can text your zip code to 438829 (GETVAX) to have vaccine locations in your area pushed to you. For Spanish, text your zip code to 822862 (VACUNA). You can also contact the national call center at 1-800-232-0233. 
• You also may want to discuss your options with your regular healthcare provider. More information about vaccines in your area may be available by visiting your local public health district website.

Dr. Christine Hahn is Idaho’s state epidemiologist and the Division of Public Health’s medical director. She is board certified in infectious disease and works in an Idaho tuberculosis clinic twice monthly. She also serves on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, and since late February 2020, has been focusing almost solely on responding to the coronavirus pandemic.

COVID-19 resources:

• Idaho’s Coronavirus website
• CDC COVID-19 website

Follow the Department of Health and Welfare on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for updates and information you can trust.

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

Idaho is doing some incredible work to expand and connect the behavioral health system in the state. The recent addition of crisis centers and recovery centers has moved the behavioral health system forward, however, there is still much work to do.  

As you may have read in a previous blog post, the Idaho Behavioral Health Council is leading this work. The council was established in 2020 to bring together all three branches of state government, local governments, and community partners to transform Idaho’s behavioral health system. The improved statewide system will ensure an effective, efficient, recovery-oriented healthcare system for all adults, children, and their families who live with mental illness and addiction.

Gov. Brad Little’s Leading Idaho plan provides critical support for expanding and connecting Idaho’s behavioral health system. It recommends investing more than $60 million in initiatives advanced by the Behavioral Health Council, including support for new certified community behavioral health clinics, psychiatric residential treatment facilities, and youth crisis centers. The Leading Idaho plan also includes converting the suicide prevention line to the national behavioral  health crisis line, which will be reached by dialing 9-8-8 starting July 16.

Thanks to the Leading Idaho plan, Idaho is investing:

• $15 million for at least three youth psychiatric residential treatment facilities (PRTF) located across the state. PRTF certification is required for Medicaid to pay for these services. Idaho currently only has one psychiatric residential treatment facility that only serves young females. This means at any given time about 100 Idaho youths are placed in out-of-state facilities. This funding will allow these vulnerable youths to be treated in Idaho, close to family.
• $6 million each year for two years for certified community behavioral health clinics, to expand access to behavioral health services and services to people who are in crisis.
• $4.4 million for the 9-8-8 crisis system, which will provide one number nationally and in Idaho starting July 16 for people to call if they feel they might harm themselves or are experiencing any behavioral health crisis.
• $4.4 million for youth crisis centers. The adult crisis centers have been a huge success. This one-time funding will cover start-up costs for youth crisis centers.

For more information about the Idaho Behavioral Health Council, visit https://behavioralhealthcouncil.idaho.gov/

I hope you have a safe and healthy weekend.

In recognition of May as Mental Health Awareness Month, this is the second post this month that focuses on how Idaho is working to improve the behavioral health system so Idahoans can get the care and services they need when they need them. You can read my first post at https://healthandwelfare.idaho.gov/dhw-voice/dhw-director-dave-jeppesen-working-improve-behavioral-healthcare-all-idahoans.

It truly takes a village to raise a child, even in the best of times. But when a family is struggling to provide a safe and nurturing home for their children, it sometimes becomes necessary for a child to be placed with a foster family so they can be safe while their parents address issues until they can provide a safe home for their child.

When children can’t remain safely with their parents, placement with relatives or close family friends is the preferred option because it helps children maintain close family relationships and cultural traditions.

Idaho has tens of thousands of kinship caregivers who take on the role of parenting when the child’s parents are unable to fulfill that role. These living arrangements may be made formally through the Department of Health and Welfare's Child Protection Program or the court system, but are often arranged without formal intervention.

Often, family members voluntarily take relative children into their homes during family crisis. This can be challenging legally, financially, and emotionally. If you are one of the kinship care providers in Idaho, you are not alone, and help is available.

Idaho’s Kinship Program offers resources for kinship caregivers to help with financial costs, legal resources, support groups, respite resources, and more.

If children don’t have a relative or close family friend who can take them in during a crisis, foster families are an option. About 1,500 children are in foster care at any given time in Idaho, and the need for foster families is always high.

More information on how to become a foster parent is available on the department’s website, or you can call 2-1-1 or 800-926-2588 and a foster care representative will contact them.

Cameron Gilliland is the administrator of the Division of Family and Community Services. He has worked for the department since 1996 in various capacities and was promoted to administrator in August 2021. He has been trained as a clinical social worker and has overseen policy for the Child Welfare Program and managed several developmental disability programs in the department.

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

Although winter is loosening its grip gradually in Idaho, the beginning of the next fiscal year on July 1 will arrive all-too quickly. One of the key annual milestones we work to achieve at that time is submission of our annually-updated five-year strategic plan.

The department’s senior leadership team is working to reset our strategic plan for the next cycle. As we do, we’re continuing to hold weekly accountability meetings to make sure no task is left behind. We take stock of outstanding tasks from our current strategic plan using a red, yellow, green, and blue traffic light system that helps us quickly visualize how far we’ve come.

Out of the original 64 tasks that we published in our current strategic plan, 46 percent are marked blue (completed), 40 percent are green (on track), 4 percent are yellow (a few issues to work out), and 7 percent are red. Tasks marked red mean we’ve hit a major roadblock that we’re figuring out how to work around.

In my April 29 blog post, you can read more about the progress we’ve made on each task in Goal 1, which is to ensure affordable, available healthcare that works.

This goal includes work performed across the Division of Public Health and Division of Medicaid, with support from department-wide colleagues and partners throughout the state. Over the next few weeks, this blog series will focus on the progress we’ve made on every task in Goals 2, 3, and 4.

As we work toward conclusion of one strategic plan cycle and prepare for the next, the department’s leadership and staff are engaged in big-picture thinking and planning to prepare for the challenges ahead. As we do this, we continue to push ourselves to practice collaboration with each other and compassion for those we serve.

What’s more, each time we complete a task from our strategic plan, we take another step toward planning the next task that will help improve the lives of Idahoans.

It is no longer a federal mandate to wear a mask on public transportation and in transportation hubs, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued updated COVID-19 guidance about masks and travel to help people assess their risk for infection so they can take steps to stay healthy.

As the number of COVID-19 cases varies in different parts of Idaho and the nation, it’s a good idea to keep a quality mask handy when you travel, in case you find yourself in a crowded or poorly ventilated area where the risk of getting infected with COVID-19 is higher.

When should I wear a mask in travel and public transportation settings?

Wearing a well-fitting and high-quality mask or respirator is recommended for everyone aged 2 years or older when indoors on public transportation and at transportation hubs. It is especially important to wear a mask:

• When public transportation or transportation hubs are crowded
• In areas that are poorly ventilated, including:
  • Small, enclosed spaces, such as airport jet bridges
  • Public transportation when the ventilation system is off and windows are closed, such as when the engine is turned off on a plane
• During international travel and in transportation hubs with international travelers
• During long-distance domestic travel
• When the COVID-19 Community Level in your area in the United States is high
• If you are at high risk for getting very sick from COVID-19, or if you live with or have social contact with someone at high risk
• If you came into close contact with someone with COVID-19 and are not recommended to quarantine because you are up to date on your COVID-19 vaccines or have recently recovered from COVID-19. Wear a well-fitting mask or respirator around others, including when traveling or using public transportation, until 10 days from the date of your last close contact.
  • Do not travel if you are recommended to quarantine.
  • If you have COVID-19, do not travel until a full 10 days after your symptoms started or the date your positive test was taken if you had no symptoms.

Why are masks still recommended in travel and public transportation but not in other community settings?

• Using public transportation can involve spending long periods of time in areas that may be crowded or poorly ventilated, increasing the chance for exposure to COVID-19.
• People on public transportation may not have the option to avoid being around people who are not wearing masks by getting off a bus or flight or relocating to another area.
• People from countries or US communities with different levels of COVID-19 mix when they travel. Travelers depart to many different locations from a hub, so an exposure could lead to spread across the United States and around the world.

What are other ways I can reduce risk of COVID-19 infection in travel and transportation settings?

• Consider traveling during off-peak times when fewer people travel.
• Open windows to improve ventilation if this is an option.
• Visit Domestic Travel During COVID-19 | CDC and International Travel | CDC for additional ways you can protect yourself and others during travel.
• Before travel, regardless of the destination and your vaccination status, consider getting tested for infection with a viral test as close to the time of departure as possible (no more than 3 days). 
• After domestic travel, regardless of your vaccination status, get tested if your travel involved being in crowded places while not wearing a well-fitting mask or respirator and follow additional guidance if you know you were exposed to a person with COVID-19. Self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms. If you have symptoms, isolate and get tested. 

How do state and local regulations apply to recommendations for masking during travel?

People should continue to follow any rules and recommendations of state, tribal, local, and territorial authorities. The CDC continues to recommend that people remain aware of the disease level in their local areas and act accordingly.

Dr. Christine Hahn is Idaho’s state epidemiologist and the Division of Public Health’s medical director. She is board certified in infectious disease and works in an Idaho tuberculosis clinic twice monthly. She also serves on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, and since late February 2020, has been focusing almost solely on responding to the coronavirus pandemic.

COVID-19 resources:

• Photos and more tips about N95 Respirators, Surgical Masks, Face Masks, and Barrier Face Coverings
• Idaho’s Coronavirus website
• CDC COVID-19 website

Follow the Department of Health and Welfare on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for updates and information you can trust.

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

One of the many hats I wear as director of the Department of Health and Welfare is co-chair of the Idaho Behavioral Health Council. The council was established by all three branches of government via a proclamation from the Idaho Supreme Court, a concurrent resolution from the Legislature, and by Gov. Brad Little’s executive order on July 29, 2020, to improve the system of care for Idahoans with behavioral health needs. I co-chair the council with Sara Omundson, administrative director of courts.

The council is unique because it includes members from all three branches of Idaho’s government: executive, judicial, and legislative. It also includes local government and members of the public. Thirteen members have been working since August 2020 with local government, service providers, community partners, and people who use behavioral health services and their families to identify a list of recommendations that will move us all a step closer to making behavioral healthcare more consistently available to all Idahoans.

Behavioral health issues affect many aspects of life in Idaho, including Idaho’s corrections system, judicial system, hospitals, schools, and communities.

It is the council’s vision that adults, children, and their families who live with mental illness and addiction receive the behavioral healthcare services they need, when they need them. Council members believe if this vision is realized, then people in Idaho will have a better quality of life and a lowered risk of involvement with the criminal justice system. It will make Idaho communities healthier and safer.

There’s a lot of work to do to fulfill that vision, but we now have a solid plan. The council worked with community partners to develop and implement a three-year strategic action plan.

The plan addresses the challenges that individuals with mental illness and substance use disorders face in Idaho. It also includes an inventory of current resources, a plan to leverage state and national best practices, and a focus on a consumer-driven approach to design a  cost-efficient, organized system that maximizes resources to care for people with behavioral health conditions in Idaho.

The plan contains 34 recommendations that address infrastructure, promotion, prevention, engagement of people with behavioral health disorders, treatment, and recovery. The council selected nine of the recommendations as priorities for three years, and three have already been implemented.

The council’s next meeting will be at 11 a.m. July 8. For more information about the council, visit https://behavioralhealthcouncil.idaho.gov/

I hope you have a safe and healthy weekend.

During the pandemic, many of us postponed or missed important wellness checkups and medical care with our healthcare providers because of the spread of COVID-19. As COVID-19 cases have decreased and normal activities resume, now is a good time to review the vaccines recommended for your children to make sure they are up to date. It's easy to think that serious diseases like measles, mumps, and hepatitis, aren’t a threat to your child. But the truth is, they still exist. Children in the United States can — and do — still get some of these diseases. Vaccines help lower the chance of that happening.

What vaccines should my children receive?

You should talk about needed vaccines with your child’s healthcare provider. A schedule of all the recommended vaccinations for children and young adults ages 18 years and younger is available at: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/schedules/hcp/imz/child-adolescent.html

Where can I get a copy of my child’s immunization record?

A copy of your child's immunization record may be obtained from their primary care provider’s office, the clinic that gave them a vaccine, your local public health district clinic, or any healthcare provider or facility with which they have an established medical relationship.

Where can I get vaccines for my child?

Vaccines are available at many locations across Idaho. They may be available for you and your child at your healthcare provider’s office or your local public health district. Contact your local public health districts or community health center to schedule an appointment for vaccines.  

Is there an out-of-pocket cost for children’s vaccines? 

Routine childhood vaccines are available to Idaho children, under the age of 19 years, at no cost or at a lower cost. The vaccine itself is free through medical providers who participate in Idaho’s Immunization Program, but the provider may charge a fee to your insurance company to give the vaccine. All local public health districts participate in the state vaccine program, as do most pediatricians and family practice physicians.

Are vaccines required for school or childcare facility attendance?

There are specific immunization requirements for students to attend school or childcare in Idaho because some diseases spread quickly in group settings. Highly contagious diseases like whooping cough and measles can spread easily not only at school or childcare, but also at home where there may be babies who are too young for vaccinations. Whooping cough is a concern for babies. You can talk to your doctor about the vaccines your child needs for school or daycare attendance and read more about the school immunization requirements, including registration requirements for records or valid exemptions,  at www.immunizeidahoschools.com and https://healthandwelfare.idaho.gov/services-programs/children-families/child-and-adolescent-immunization

Dr. Christine Hahn is Idaho’s state epidemiologist and the Division of Public Health’s medical director. She is board certified in infectious disease and works in an Idaho tuberculosis clinic twice monthly. She also serves on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, and since late February 2020, has been focusing almost solely on responding to the coronavirus pandemic.

COVID-19 resources:

• Idaho’s Coronavirus website
• CDC COVID-19 website

Follow the Department of Health and Welfare on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for updates and information you can trust.

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 Department of Health and Welfare (DHW) uses our strategic plan as a roadmap to define and share who we are as an agency, what our goals are, and how we plan to achieve them. Over the past year, we have worked diligently to follow our roadmap toward our mission of strengthening the health, safety, and independence of Idahoans. Our current strategic plan cycle will end on June 30, and we are currently in the process of developing our next five-year plan.

Each week, the senior leadership team discusses real-time updates about our strategic work. This blog post highlights and celebrates some of the key achievements from the current strategic plan. This week, I will cover the first of our four strategic goals. Today, we’re focusing on our first strategic goal. Throughout May and June, this blog series will continue with a focus on the second, third, and fourth strategic goals.

Making progress toward Strategic Goal 1: Ensure affordable, available healthcare that works

Objective 1.1: Increase the number of National Health Service Corps clinic sites by 12 percent by June 30, 2023.

• Healthcare organizations in federally designated Health Professional Shortage Areas can apply to become National Health Service Corps sites. These sites are important because they provide a sliding fee scale for patients and loan repayment opportunities for providers. The DHW team reached out to dozens of providers in newly designated Health Professional Shortage Areas in Blaine and Bonneville Counties to encourage them to become National Health Service Corps sites. The team provided education and technical support for new site applications. There are now 23 new site applications underway and the DHW team will continue to support application development through the closing date on May 10, 2022.
• Clinics must be in a designated Health Professional Shortage Area to apply to become a National Health Service Corps site. The team successfully analyzed 100 percent of Idaho’s areas not currently designated and submitted six applications for possible new shortage area designations. While four of the applications were unsuccessful due to the provider to population ratio, new primary care shortage area designations were approved for Blaine and Bonneville Counties.  

Objective 1.2: By July 1, 2023, 50 percent of Medicaid payments will be tied to measurable outcomes of better health and cost-efficient care.

• The Healthy Connections Value Care program performance year successfully went live on Jan. 1, 2022. This trailblazing collaboration between DHW and healthcare providers is designed to ensure that providers are rewarded for providing high-quality, cost-effective healthcare, and Idahoans receive healthcare that makes them healthier. Now, the team is collecting data throughout 2022 to prepare a preliminary report on the new program, which will include performance metrics relating to cost efficiency and quality.
• The Medicaid team is working toward adding the Medicaid Expansion population to the Healthy Connections Value Care program as part of Performance Year 2 of the program.
• The Medicaid team also  worked on contract language for “duals” plans – people enrolled in both Medicaid and Medicare. The new contract language supports value-based payment strategies that will result in better health and cost-efficient care for people on duals programs. The DHW team worked with healthcare provider partners to agree on contract language, and the new contracts are now in place.
• DHW has recently hired a quality director, who will work with the Medicaid team to set meaningful quality metrics and goals for Medicaid’s value-based, managed care, and fee-for-service programs. Together with the DHW medical director, the quality director will collaborate with many stakeholders to develop an overarching population health and quality strategy.

Objective 1.3: Limit Medicaid spending growth to a defined annual per-member cost increase target through the implementation of cost-containment strategies by July 1, 2025.

• DHW is working to develop a data-driven per member per year cost-containment target. We are also working to modify the Medicaid budget report to track progress toward that target. The Medicaid team will use the target as a benchmark for cost containment activities.
• This cost reduction strategy task has been completed on time. The DHW Medicaid team worked with Blue Cross of Idaho and Molina Healthcare of Idaho to implement new contracts for people enrolled in both Medicaid and Medicare. The new 2022 contracts include mutually agreeable contract language and performance measures that are designed to reduce the growth trend by $5 million, year-over-year.
• The Medicaid team has been working on several strategies to limit the use of low-value, medically unnecessary services. The goal is to achieve cost-avoiding savings of $5 million in SFY 2023. The team has worked on several internal initiatives to revise and update clinical policies to manage service provision.

As we reflect on the progress and completion of these tasks and objectives in the first of the department’s four strategic goals, I am filled with gratitude and admiration for the hard work put in every day by DHW staff, and by the countless partners who continue to help us along the way. As we prepare to move our focus toward the next five years, I am confident that we will continue to innovate and collaborate in our work together to serve Idahoans.

You can follow the DHW’s work toward our mission and read more about our Strategic Plan on our website.

I hope you have a safe and healthy weekend.

Domestic poultry, including chickens and turkeys, infected with highly pathogenic avian influenza (also called bird flu) were first detected earlier this month in Idaho, in Gooding, Caribou, and Madison counties. They were likely infected by migrating geese or ducks.

A type of avian influenza, called highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1), started killing domestic poultry and certain species of wild birds in the United States in mid-January.

It’s extremely rare but still possible for this virus to pass from infected birds to humans. Here are some things to keep in mind now that the virus has been confirmed in Idaho.

What is highly pathogenic avian influenza?

Bird flu is the disease caused by infection with avian influenza viruses. These viruses naturally spread among wild aquatic birds worldwide and can infect domestic poultry and other birds and some animals. Some avian influenza viruses do not cause disease in birds; however, highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses cause severe illness in infected birds. 

Can it make humans sick?

Yes, but only rarely.

Although avian influenza viruses usually do not infect people, there have been some cases of human infection. Human infections with bird flu viruses have occurred most often after unprotected contact with infected birds or surfaces contaminated with the virus. Even so, there have been infections where direct contact with infected birds or their environment could not be verified.

Human infections with bird flu viruses can happen when the virus gets into a person’s eyes, nose, or mouth, or is inhaled. This is possible when virus is in the air (in droplets or possibly dust) and a person breathes it in, or when a person touches something that has virus on it then touches their mouth, eyes, or nose. Infected birds shed virus through their saliva, mucous and feces.

If it’s rare, why is it important to know about it?

It is possible that bird flu viruses could mutate and gain the ability to spread easily between people; therefore, monitoring for human infection and person-to-person spread is extremely important for public health.

What are the symptoms of avian influenza in humans?

Some infected people have had no symptoms. When symptoms were present for others, they ranged from mild illness, such as eye redness or mild flu-like upper respiratory symptoms, to severe illness, including fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headaches, fatigue, and shortness of breath or difficulty breathing. Some people have developed pneumonia requiring hospitalization. Less common signs and symptoms include diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, or seizures.

What are the signs of illness in birds?

Signs of highly pathogenic avian influenza in domestic poultry include decreased appetite and activity, difficulty breathing, dark combs and wattles, and unexplained deaths.

If you have a backyard flock that is experiencing a sudden increase in illness and death, contact the Idaho State Department of Agriculture at 208-332-8540.

If you come across a sick or dead bird in the wild, avoid touching it and report your findings to the Idaho Department of Fish and Game through its website: https://idfg.idaho.gov/conservation/wildlife-health.

Learn more:

• Bird flu infections in humans (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention): https://www.cdc.gov/flu/avianflu/avian-in-humans.htm
• About avian influenza (Idaho Department of Fish and Game): https://idfg.idaho.gov/conservation/wildlife-health/avian-influenza

Leslie Tengelsen, PhD, DVM, is the state public health veterinarian in the Division of Public Health. She has worked for the department since 1998 and focuses on zoonotic disease prevention.

Follow the Department of Health and Welfare on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for daily updates and information you can trust.

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