IPUL's Social Media Recap : February 8, 2019

Here are the highlights of our recent activity online. Not all everything is included due to timeliness. If an advertised event already took place, we've left it off.

We Were at Fred Rigger Disability Day

We posted images from our day at the Capitol. You can see all the images by clicking here.

We Went Live on Facebook to Discuss Katie Beckett / Medicaid in Idaho

We went live on Facebook for a short discussion about the Katie Beckett Medicaid option in Idaho. Our plan is to do this more often to help address frequent questions we get in our office. The video will remain live on Facebook, and now has subtitles added. (The subtitles were added automatically, so be aware that there's a chance of some unintended humor.) You can view it by clicking this link.

We Shared This Commercial From The Super Bowl

We were good for most of this commercial until the Father choked up. When technology empowers each of us, it empowers all of us. This Super Bowl, follow the inspirational story of passionate young gamers rising to the top of their game with a little help from their friends, family and the Xbox Adaptive Controller. The story illustrates Microsoft’s commitment to building accessible technology that levels the playing field and creates opportunity for all of us. Click here to see the commercial.

Teddy Bear Clinic in Couer d'Alene

We shared this from the Panhandle Autism Society: This year, PAS is excited to be a partner with  Heritage Health  's Teddy Bear Clinic on February 23, from 10 to 12! This fun event lets kids take their special Teddy Bears to the doctor and dentist and will help kids have a positive experience at the doctor's office. Volunteers from PAS will be there with information and to support our friends on the autism spectrum. This is a free event for children 8 and under. February 23, 2019 10:00 a.m - 12:00 p.m. Heritage Health 1090 West Park Place Couer d'Alene, ID 83914

"Movin' On" Couer d'Alene Transition Fair

On March 14, 2019 from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. There will be a "Movin' On" transition fair at the Couer d'Alene High School, focusing on Youth 14-18 who are about to transition to adult services. There will be many presenters there to explain the services from their programs. The fair will be held at 5530 N 4th St, Coeur d'Alene ID. For more information click here

A Great Resource for Parents

We shared this about the U of I Child and Youth Study Center: U of I Child and Youth Study Center Provides a broad range of psychological assessments and counseling services for children an d youth in the Palouse region.  The CDHD has created a clinical service center to address a regional lack of assessments, consultation, and treatment for children; services that historically have been available only in Seattle or Portland. Wow!  To learn more visit them at   http://idahocdhd.org/cysc

Proposition 2 Ruled Constitutional

The Idaho Supreme Court has rejected the Idaho Freedom Foundation’s claim that the voter-passed Medicaid expansion initiative is unconstitutional. The opinion was written by Chief Justice Roger Burdick. Two justices both concurred and dissented; both Justices Robyn Brody and Greg Moeller contended that the case should have been dismissed on procedural grounds, before even considering the constitutionality argument.  Read the full story here

St. Anthony - Gab at the Lab

We shared this from the Idaho Art Lab: Gab at the Lab is our Monthly hang out night! Bring whatever art or craft project you are working on, or join us in a creative project to benefit the Art Lab. Taking place on the 2nd Thursday of each month, 6:00-8:00 p.m. at 2355 S Yellowstone Hwy, St. Anthony ID More information at : www.idahoartlab.org

Today's Joint Listening Session at the Capitol

We posted this on Thursday, February 7: Idaho Department of Health and Welfare Director Jeppesen gave a presentation this morning to the House Health and Welfare Committee that discussed the Department's priorities as they relate to their budget request. The priorities discussed included 1: Suicide Prevention, 2: Children's Developmental Disabilities. and 3: The Child Welfare Initiative. He, along with Administrators Ross Edmunds and Matt Wimmer, also addressed questions about other top priorities including Mental Health and Non-Emergency Medical Transportation. These are all issues that affect the families that IPUL serves, and we're pleased to see these are the priorities of the Department. (Removed from here is the line about the listening session that took place this morning) And followed it up this morning with this: Thanks to both the Idaho House and Senate Health and Welfare Committees for hosting a listening session this morning. We had so many individuals who graciously shared their very personal stories, and we appreciated the opportunity to hear them. Because time was so limited, we know that not everyone who wanted to share was able this morning. Families, if you were hoping to speak on the issues that were discussed this morning, or other issues including other priority areas such as child welfare and mental health, remember that you can continue to provide written testimony at any time. You can also watch the legislative agendas and sign up to testify in the regular committee meetings. If you need assistance in sharing your story, please drop us a line at Idaho Parents Unlimited. We're happy to help.

Reminder About the Idaho Family Caregiver Conference

Parents, if you registered to attend the Idaho Family Caregiver Conference tomorrow (Saturday, February 9th), remember that IPUL can reimburse you for your registration costs. Our scholarship forms are located on our website on the right-hand side of this page:  h ttps://ipulidaho.org/resources-and-partners

Legislative Agenda Information

We've pinned this post to the top of our Facebook page: There are a lot of things happening at the Idaho Legislature each day that they are in session (typically from January through March.) Did you know that you can access the daily agendas on their website? You can also listen into the committee hearings that stream live. Idaho Parents Unlimited pays close attention to the House and Senate Health and Welfare and Education committees but you may interested in hearing about agencies, proposed rule changes, and other legislative action as well. With busy schedules and proximity - not everyone lives in the Treasure Valley - shocking! - this is a great way to stay on top of things no matter where you are. Daily agendas are found here:   https://legislature.idaho.gov/sessioninfo/agenda/ Live streaming of hearings are found here:  http://idahoptv.org/insession/leg.cfm

Registration for Teen STEAM Night Still Open

On Tuesday, February 19, 2019, from 5:00 to 8:00 P.M. Idaho Parents Unlimited will be hosting an informal get-together for up to ten teens to hang out, enjoy snacks, and try out some of our new digital art technology to create and print posters. Participants will be able to use Photoshop with Wacom art  tablets. Teens who need additional supports are encouraged to bring them. In order to attend, you must register. Register to attend by clicking this link: https://ipulidaho.org/teen-steam-night-registration

We want you to update your preferences!

You can now tune your email preferences! We want to be sure you are getting the mail from us that matters to you. Currently if you are on our mailing list (and if you are reading this, you are) you are getting everything we send out... However we know that not everyone wants to see everything we send out, so we are making it easy to tune your preferences. If you scroll to the very bottom of this mailing you will find a link that says "update profile" clicking this will launch a page where you can update your information, and choose what mailings you will receive from us in the future. You will be able to deselect or select to be on the newsletter list, the social media update list, or the announcements list. If you are happy with getting everything, then you don't have to do anything, you are all set. But should you want to adjust what we send you, that is now possible.

IPUL's upcoming statewide trainings:

Next statewide training:

February Statewide Training:  Planning For a Healthy Transition to Adulthood Broadcast Live in the Boise office and interactive statewide via webinar platform.  Planning For a Healthy Transition to Adulthood February 13, 2019 5:30-7:00 pm MST Parents and youth will participate in a discussion about the importance of having good self-advocacy skills, strategies for healthy living and self-care, and how to find and access adult services and health care. Again, we welcome people who want to attend the training in person at our Boise office. People attending remotely via GoToWebinar only need to have a modern web browser to attend. You will receive a confirmation email from GoToWebinar, even if you are planning to attend the training in our Boise office in person.

Register Here

Next webinar:

Just a reminder that we have changed how we present our webinars - rather than a live webinar, will be releasing a series of shorter, prerecorded modules on the same topic as our statewide training. The idea being that once we put them up, they will remain available for anyone to register to see and watch at their leisure. You can find them here on our website: https://ipulidaho.org/online-training-videos/101-online-training-videos/196-mws The next topic will be Planning for a Healthy Transition to Adulthood - and will be available on 2/27/19