The Environmental Health Program is thrilled to announce that Mary Haley, a 7th grader from North Junior High in Boise, has taken 1st place in the 2025 Northwest Radon Coalition Poster Contest as the regional winner for the entire Northwest.

Out of 87 imaginative and educational submissions from across Idaho, Oregon, and Washington, Mary’s poster stood out for its creativity, clarity, and impactful message about the dangers of radon. Her art captured the importance of testing homes for radon and inspired viewers to act — all while showcasing her unique flair and thoughtful design.

The Northwest Radon Coalition Poster Contest aims to spark conversations about radon awareness by engaging students ages 9-14. The goal? Educate families and communities about this invisible yet dangerous radioactive gas that can seep into homes and increase the risk of lung cancer. And what better way to spread that message than through the creative minds of young people?

Mary’s winning poster will now represent Idaho, where she’ll compete against other state champions from across the U.S. We couldn't be prouder to have her as our ambassador!

Submitted by Carolee Cooper, Environmental Health Program

Spotlight on Community Health EMS: Expanding Access to Care in Rural Idaho

Access to care remains one of Idaho’s top health priorities—and Elmore County is leading the way with an innovative solution. We're shining a spotlight on the Community Health EMS (CHEMS) program, a local initiative transforming how care is delivered to patients with complex needs. Launched by Elmore Ambulance Service, coordinated by Central District Health and supported through the Get Healthy Idaho grant, the program is demonstrating powerful results—from reducing emergency service strain to securing long-term funding and national recognition. Read the full spotlight (also shown below) to learn how this community-driven model is reshaping rural healthcare and inspiring similar efforts across the state.

Submitted by Karla Nelson and Katie Lamansky, State Health Assessment Team

Books and Baked Good Sale raises more than $734 for employee appreciation events

The DPH Wellness Committee wants to give a hearty thank you to everyone who donated items, time, and money for the Books and Baked Goods Sale on April 23. More than $734 was raised for employee appreciation events in May and June. (See Elke’s email from April 30 for more details on those events!)

Now accepting nominations for DPH and DHW awards, along with de Beaumont’s 40 Under 40 in Public Health

DPH leadership would like to celebrate staff for being awesome and for doing awesome work! Nominations are being accepted for Director’s Awards, Division Awards, and for 40 Under 40 at the Employee Recognition page using the same nomination form. To be considered for a 40 Under 40 nomination, please indicate whether the nominee is younger than 40. Questions? Email Sarah.Poe@dhw.idaho.gov.

Milestones

• The Idaho Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistics filed its millionth marriage record in mid-April. Combined with other events, the bureau has more than 4.25 million vital events on file, with 2.12 million of those events being held in the bureau’s File Room.

• The Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistics also completed an annual Public Records Request from Ancestry.com. This annual request provides copies of digital images and index files for vital events that are now in the public record range. This includes births up to the year 1924, as well as deaths, marriages, divorces, stillbirths up to the year 1974. This year’s collection was more than 893,000 digital images.

Out and about

• Jonas Frankel-Bricker, Population Health Data Team, gave a presentation on "Quantifying Substance Use in Idaho Utilizing BRFSS Data" to the State Epidemiological Outcomes Workgroup (SEOW).

• Mitch Kron, Bureau of Rural Health and Primary Care, facilitated a quarterly Critical Access Hospital Compliance webinar in partnership with the DHW Division of Licensing and Certification. The topic was swing bed regulations in critical access hospitals. Mitch wrote: “We had a lot of audience engagement, and Alicia Nelson from the Division of Licensing and Certification’s survey team did a great job answering questions from CAH staff. These webinars promote dialogue and education without having to learn from issues pointed out during site visits and allows for opportunities to build relationships and trust between the Department and our partners.”

• Brooke Ambrose, Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias Program, conducted a neurocognitive hold training for local law enforcement, hosted by the North Idaho Area Agency on Aging and Idaho Sen. Melissa Wintrow. Brooke also coordinated an introductory meeting with the Saint Alphonsus Memory Center to Idaho private payors so the memory center staff could inform the payors of the activities they are doing to improve dementia care at home and with family caregivers.

• Claudia Coatney, Maternal and Child Health Section, attended the Idaho Oral Health Steering Committee meeting with oral health champions from across the state. There will be three action committees created to work on caregiver education, messaging/communication campaign, and dental provider education.

• Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program staff hosted the April 12 Idaho Immunization Coalition Health Fair in Nampa. The program and Southwest District Health provided community education and services:

  • More than 200 people received education about sources of lead and its impact on human health.

  • Staff handed out more than 60 children’s books about lead.

  • 28 people requested blood-lead screening, seven more screenings than last year. Of those, two children and three adults had elevated results and were referred to providers for confirmatory testing.

  • The booth was so popular that screening and testing continued an hour after the event had ended.

Staff changes

• Welcome! The Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistics would like to welcome Aggie Varon, OS2 Temp. She moved to Idaho six years ago with her husband, two children, and dog (Fiona) after her husband retired. She recently decided to re-enter the workforce and is enjoying working in Vital Statistics. She enjoys gardening, going to the movies, and spending time with her family and Fiona. Welcome to the team!

• Good luck! Heidi Cook’s last day is April 30. She was the Sexual Violence Prevention Program Manager in the Bureau of Prevention and Community Health. We wish her the best of luck!

Idaho Public Health Quick Fact: Violent Death Rates

The Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistics collects and stores data from around the state. See more fact sheets and reports from the bureau.

One Department Q&A: Hosting a conference

Q: I am submitting a request to host a conference. I know that slides should be included, but many presenters do not prepare their slides until just before (sometimes the night before) they present. What should I do? Also, must I include presentations by non-DHW employees presenting at the conference when I submit the One Department request? I don’t think I can get them this early.

A: When hosting or presenting at a conference, the slides of DHW employees who will present at the conference should be included in the One Department request. If those slides are not complete, such as when waiting to insert updated data, include a draft of the slides and comment in the request what may change.

When hosting a conference, please request presenters’ slideshows and, if you get them, include them in the One Department request. But do not hold submission of a One Department request for those materials. (In other words: ideally, all presentations would be available for review of a One Department request, but only presentations by DHW employees or individuals representing DHW are required.)

Learn more at the DPH One Department Landing Page.

Send your One Department questions to Niki Forbing-Orr to be included in a future newsletter. Read a full FAQ.

Learning and growth opportunities

☑️ Internal / ✅ External / ⭐ Idaho

Two-day grant writing workshop set for June 5-6 in Nampa | Nampa Police Department and Grant Writing USA will present a two-day grant writing workshop June 5-6 in Nampa. This training is for grant seekers across all disciplines. Attendees will learn how to find the funding sources and write grant proposals.

Beginning and experienced grant writers from city, county, and state agencies as well as healthcare organizations, nonprofits, K-12, colleges and universities are encouraged to attend. Tuition is $495 and includes two days of instruction, workbook, and lifetime access to the Alumni Resource Center of resources and sample grant proposals. Groups of five or more receive a $50 discount per person. Discounts for Grant Writing USA alumni and nonprofits are also available. Payment is not required at the time of registration.

For more information about the workshop, contact Tammy Pitts at 888-435-7281, tammy@grantwritingusa.com, or Sgt. Brian Jones, 208-565-5131, jonesb@cityofnampa.us

For more information about limited funding available for DPH staff, email Keri.Garden@dhw.idaho.gov.

Don't Panic! Crisis Communication Panel to Strengthen Public Health Response | May 8 | Join ASTHO for this webinar focused on equipping public health professionals with tools and strategies for risk communication. Panelists will explore how to identify emerging threats, apply current research, and use leading tools to enhance crisis response across jurisdictions. Register

"Successes and Failures: Everything We Learned from Health Communication Campaigns and Programs" | Free for limited time | The Society for Health Communication and Journal of Health Communication Special Issue "Successes and Failures: Everything We Learned from Health Communication Campaigns and Programs" has been published and includes 9 peer-reviewed research papers from health communication programs in the U.S. and around the world.

It features insights from unintended or unforeseen consequences of campaigns, studies with innovative and/or robust evaluations that yielded less than desirable results, and lessons learned from crisis communication efforts. The entire issue is free to view until early May.

☑️ ⭐ DPH Open House materials | Materials from DPH Open House events are available on SharePoint. See you at the next open house at 1 p.m. May 21!

☑️ DHW Director’s Bulletins | DHW Director Alex Adams regularly publishes bulletins that lead work and priorities throughout DHW. The latest bulletin was published on Feb. 10 and is about Medicaid waivers. All Director’s Bulletins are published on the Director’s Office SharePoint site.

☑️ ⭐ DHW Transparency Reports | To increase transparency and accountability of department operations, and to provide data for economic and statewide budget forecasting, the divisions of Medicaid and Self-Reliance (which includes WIC data) now issue monthly reports of program participation and expenditures. See the reports.

☑️ ⭐ Contact DPH Communications to get started with a communications or marketing project | Start by visiting the DPH Communication Team page on SharePoint, which has step-by-step instructions to connect with Marketing and Brand Officer James la Marche, to get started with your education and outreach projects.

☑️ ⭐ New resources and training for DHW computer platforms | Resources include SharePoint, Laserfiche, Gov Delivery, Microsoft, and MS365. Check it out!

✒️ DHW Voice blog | Articles written by DHW staff are available on the department’s website.

📰 DHW Connection | The department’s newsletter is published on Inside DHW each payday. Read the latest issue!

📰 DHW news releases | News releases are posted on the DHW website. Read the latest.

Send your ideas for newsletter stories, staff news, events, successes and other DPH Newsletter content to Niki.Forbing-Orr@dhw.idaho.gov. The next issue will come out the week of May 14.