Connecting Students to Careers, Professionals to Communities, and Communities to Better Health! |
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Exciting News from SW ID AHEC and Our Partners for the New Year and Beyond! |
Happy New Year! We hope that as you enter into this month, you feel energized and ready to tackle 2022 - we are eager to jump right in! Katrina has spent this past year gearing up to bring our students and you, our community, many new and exciting opportunities! With all of this work coming to fruition in 2022, Katrina and I have decided to bring you Frontier Footnotes more frequently - FF will now be in your inbox EVERY month! We hope that with this change we will be able to better communicate all of the exciting happenings with us and with our community partners.
On a similar note, SW ID AHEC is now on social media! We would love to have your support - please follow us across all platforms ( Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter).
Warm wishes,
Katrina Hoff and Jacelyn Lawson
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SW ID AHEC and Family Caregiver Navigator Introduce New Caregiver Respite Program
We are thrilled to introduce a pilot program developed by the Boise State University's Family Caregiver Navigator program and SW ID AHEC! We have worked diligently over the past year to craft a program that will serve both our AHEC Scholars and local caregivers.
Buddy Break is designed to provide family caregivers with the opportunity to tend to their own needs for an hour or two at a time within the home while their care recipient family member is engaged in a virtual social activity with an AHEC Scholar. This form of respite can play a critical role in strengthening family stability and maintaining the health of the caregiver while providing much needed stimulation and social connection for the care recipient.
Buddy Break connects AHEC Scholars with older adults to provide companionship and offer respite to caregivers of older adults in a virtual environment.
- Benefits to AHEC Scholar: Provides an opportunity to build relationships and learn from the life experiences of the Care Recipient. Many Student Respite Workers are in the course of earning their degrees in health-related or social work professions and are seeking experience in working with aging adults. Others are driven by the opportunity to engage in direct service in their communities.
- Benefits to Caregivers: Buddy Break offers respite to Caregivers on a temporary basis to attend to household and personal tasks.
- Benefits to Care Recipients: Care Recipients receive companionship and build relationships through stimulating social and cognitive interactions with their AHEC Scholar Buddy.
By broadening our scholar's understanding of caregivers, caregiver burden, and caregiver respite, we hope to improve the visibility and health of our community caregivers. By providing a unique connection between caregivers and future health professionals, we hope to provide an unmatchable multidisciplinary understanding.
Buddy Break is modeled after the Time Out program developed by The Penn Memory Center and The Intergenerational Center at Temple University.
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Idaho AHECs Release 2020-2021 Annual Report |
The three Idaho Area Health Education Center’s are delighted to announce the completion of the first annual Idaho AHEC Annual Report. The report was produced in collaboration between Southwest Idaho AHEC, Southeast Idaho AHEC, and North Idaho AHEC. We continue to address Idaho healthcare workforce shortages, health equity, and challenges faced in rural and underserved healthcare settings.
Highlights of the report include:
- Eighty-seven high school students participated in pathway programs
- $38,000 in stipends were distributed between 88 AHEC Scholars
- Fifty-three students received AHEC sponsored financial to support rural/underserved education through the summer. Over $40,500 was distributed to these students!
- Four continuing education events were offered throughout the state
Idaho AHEC appreciates all our strategic partnerships, supporters, and participants for the successful year.
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Idaho State University
News & Updates
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$1.5 million from Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health for Scholarships and Rural Training Stipends
A $1.5 million investment from the Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health will help Idaho State University increase the number of mental health providers in Idaho and improve access to health care in rural communities, through the creation of two new programs.
The Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health Behavioral Health and Accessibility Scholarships will provide up to 50 individual scholarships annually for students from Idaho majoring in behavioral health programs available at ISU, including Counseling, Clinical Psychopharmacology, Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, Clinical Psychology, and Social Work.
To help ISU students working and learning in rural clinical rotation sites throughout Idaho, the Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health Rural Clinical Training Stipends will help cover housing and other expenses for 50 students annually. Read More
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Institute of Rural Health Receives $1 Million Grant for Brain Injury Research
Idaho State University’s Institute of Rural Health (IRH) has received a $1 million five-year grant that will help researchers study traumatic brain injuries in Idaho, and increase resources for those who suffer from them.
The Administration for Community Living - an arm of the United States Department of Health and Human Services sponsored the grant.
“Our goal is to expand support to persons with traumatic brain injury in Idaho,” said Russ Spearman, principal investigator and senior research associate with the Institute of Rural Health. “The state’s rurality and lack of access to health care and other resources place Idahoans at a higher risk for TBI compared to other populations.”
Traumatic brain injuries can occur in many ways, including falls, vehicle-related collisions, violence, sports injuries, stroke, brain tumors, explosive blasts and other combat injuries. Read More
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Teresa Conner named new College of Health dean at Idaho State University
Teresa Conner believes the faculty, staff, and students of Idaho State University are all architects - of medicine, that is.
“It’s so exciting to look across a campus and see that not only here, but in Meridian, Idaho Falls, Twin Falls, and Anchorage, Alaska, such a breadth of programs,” Conner says. “You have the opportunity for health sciences to engage engineering, business, education, and arts - as well as the community - and do something spectacularly innovative.”
Dr. Conner says she knew Idaho State was the right choice, and being on campus has only reaffirmed her belief that the university is truly on the frontier of modern medicine innovation. As part of her new duties, Conner will provide interprofessional leadership to meet the diverse needs of the College of Health (COH) programs in relation to scholarship, teaching, and service excellence. Read More
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Idaho State University Names New Director of Health Science Innovation
Idaho State University is excited to announce a new position within the Kasiska Division of Health Science - the first-ever Director of Health Science Innovation. Mary Ellen Oesterle was selected for the role.
Dr. Oesterle comes to ISU after serving most recently as interim chair for the Radford University/Carilion Doctor of Physical Therapy Program. She previously held the role of department head for the University of North Georgia Doctor of Physical Therapy Program.
With the ever-changing landscape of healthcare and healthcare education, Oesterle will focus her efforts on the coordination of interprofessional education and research, continuing education, along with continuing goals to develop new programs, expand existing programs, international program development, and more. Read More
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Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine
News & Updates
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ICOM Celebrates Inaugural Military Match Day
The Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine is proud to announce members of its inaugural Class of 2022 will continue their medical training in the United States Armed Forces.
The 11 Student Doctors eligible for the Military Match represent an exciting milestone for Idaho’s first medical school, as they are the first ICOM medical students to receive their residency match. Read More
Student Doctor Lijah Vann Gardner, OMS-IV, will enter an Internal Medicine & Flight Medicine Residency at Wright State University/Wright-Patterson Air Force Base after graduating from ICOM in May of 2022.
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Hailey Barab Chosen as ICOM’s Student DO of the Year
Hailey Barab, OMS-III has been selected as the Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine’s “Student DO of the Year” for 2022.
Student Doctor Barab is currently completing her clinical rotations in Idaho’s Magic Valley area. She will now be in the running for the National Student Doctor of the Year Award, presented by the Council of Osteopathic Student Government Presidents (COSGP). This award is given each year to a student who exemplifies the following five qualities: leadership, commitment to community service, dedication to the profession, professionalism, and embodiment of the osteopathic philosophy. Read More
Hailey Barab, OMS-III
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Student Doctors Embark on a “Bold Quest” at Camp Atterbury
Eleven student doctors with military ties, alongside a small group of faculty and staff, had an opportunity to participate in a cooperative exercise involving military and civilian members, as well as partner nations. Known as Bold Quest (BQ), the purpose of this annual event is to improve interoperability across systems, services and nations. This year, BQ was held at Camp Atterbury Army Base in Indiana. The two-week training, held in November this year, offered ICOM students a significant opportunity to exercise and train in combat medical care. Read More
ICOM’s future military physicians alongside faculty and staff at Camp Atterbury.
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Boise State University
News & Updates
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New Boise State Speaker Series Means to Show What It Means to Live Inspired – and Inspiring – Lives
Dr. Paul Farmer, the humanitarian, medical anthropologist and physician whose work in Haiti became the basis for the 2017 documentary Bending the Arc, will be the first speaker for the new Carl and Jean Grosz Health Sciences Lecture Series, launching in February. The series is free and open to the public.
The series grows out of the work and contributions of Dr. Carl and Jean Grosz. Dr. Grosz, a much-admired Idaho physician who died in July of 2021, retired from a long and successful career in surgery that was bookended by success in the U.S. Air Force and as a commercial dory fisherman.
Farmer received his medical degree from Harvard University; serves as chair of the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He also holds a doctorate in philosophy from Harvard and is the Kolokotrones University Professor. He is a co-founder of Partners in Health and the author of multiple best-selling books, and has spent much of his life drawing attention to the needs for global health equity and social justice.
The lives of both Dr. Grosz and Farmer have been driven by passion, community service and creativity in improving conditions for those around them. Most importantly, through their examples and now through the lecture series, both illustrate how others can carve a path of meaning and usefulness in their lives and careers. Reserve your seat now.
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Reflecting On the Year and the Importance of Filling the Idaho Physician Pipeline and Delivering Quality Care to Our Communities - A Few Highlights
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We welcomed 40 new medical students to Idaho WWAMI this fall. We celebrated the diversity of this incredible class, including Adolfo Andazola, who immigrated to the U.S. with his family from Mexico and started school in a completely new place, and in a completely new language. His resilience, which is characteristic of WWAMI students, led him to become class salutatorian and student body president. Read More
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It was a celebratory year for the Thurston family: Idaho WWAMI alum Dr. Rick Thurston was awarded the 2021 Idaho WWAMI Alumni Award for community contributions, teaching the next generation of physicians, and providing exceptional care to his patients. Dr. Rick Thurston’s son, second-generation University of Idaho and Idaho WWAMI alum Bill Thurston, is completing his residency at Kootenai Health. He was featured this year in a University of Idaho commercial. Watch the Commercial
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John Huckabay, a University of Washington graduate, 30+ year Idaho resident, and a member of our Board of Advisors, established the largest single endowment in University of Idaho history - $12 million for Idaho WWAMI students. This gift supports a physician pipeline that is equipped and passionate about serving rural communities. Read More
- Idaho WWAMI second-year medical students explored a wide range of topics connected to rural healthcare and presented their findings at a poster presentation. Some of the research topics included Access to Specialty Care for Underinsured and Uninsured Patients, Mental Health Awareness, The Effects of Covid-19 on Clinic-Based Medicine, and Recruiting Health Care Professionals to Rural Communities.
Next year marks 50 years of Idaho WWAMI — pretty wild, isn’t it?
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ECHO Idaho's Pediatric Autism Series Launches This Month
This month ECHO Idaho is launching a new series focused on Pediatric Autism. Join a statewide virtual community dedicated to identifying approaches and resources for advancing care for these young patients and their families. Like all ECHO Idaho programming, each hour-long session is free to attend and designed to be interactive, engaging and immediately applicable to your practice.
The target audience for this series primary care providers, but all clinicians and behavioral health specialists are welcome.
In this series only, ECHO is pleased to offer MOC Part IV CME (MDs and DOs) and AAPA Category 1 PI-CME (PAs) upon completion of additional activities that supplement each session.
Join the series kickoff on Thursday, January 13, 2022 from noon to 1 p.m. Pacific time / 1-2 p.m. Mountain time to enhance your competencies and learn best practices for screening and treating autism spectrum disorder in pediatric care.
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The Bureau of Rural Health & Primary Care to Sponsor No-Cost Trainings for Individuals That Serve As Medical Interpreters for Rural Health Organizations
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Basic Training for Interpreters in Healthcare. Two-day virtual course designed for bilingual individuals that serve rural healthcare organizations. Monday, January 10, and Monday, January 17, 2022, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mountain Time.
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Bootcamp for Interpreters in Healthcare. Two-day virtual course designed for bilingual individuals that serve rural healthcare organizations who successfully completed the two-day Basic Training for Interpreters in Healthcare. Friday, February 18 and Friday, February 25, 2022, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mountain Time. Pre-requisite: Basic Training for Interpreters in Healthcare.
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Skill Building for Interpreters in Healthcare. One-day virtual course designed for bilingual individuals that serve rural healthcare organizations. Friday, March 11, 2022, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mountain Time. This is the last of three trainings to fulfill the 40-hour training requirement to qualify for the national medical interpreter certification exam. Pre-requisites: Basic Training for Interpreters in Healthcare and Bootcamp for Interpreters in Healthcare.
Additional details and registration information is found HERE.
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Central District Health is Recognized by the CDC as Key Partnership to COVID-19 Vaccinations in Rural and Frontier Central Idaho
Central District Health worked diligently over the course of the pandemic to build strong relationships with our rural counties to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and reduce health impacts to our communities. This article from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention highlights some of our work, specifically in Boise and Elmore County.
Prior to vaccination rollout Valley County was also supported through CDH’s participation in a county-wide Taskforce. The group was initiated by an Economic Development Council during the shut-down to ensure businesses could operate safely and morphed into a multi-stakeholder workgroup that included healthcare partners, local business leaders, county commissioners, city officials, schools, and communication experts. This partnership led to the success of streamlined communication and coordination, timely information dissemination, and a local city adopting Emergency Powers Authority Ordinance and passing resolutions in support of COVID-19 public health measures. Read More
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Idaho Health Data Exchange Announces Partnership with Enrollment Management Company, PointCare
Idaho Health Data Exchange (IHDE), Idaho’s statewide Health Information Exchange (HIE), announced a new partnership with PointCare to help its participants manage the entire enrollment process from end-to-end. The partnership enables IHDE to expand its services, providing a solution to deliver greater access to coverage while breaking down barriers to achieving quality healthcare.
PointCare’s Total Enrollment Management (TEM) system qualifies patients in 90 seconds for all programs and benefits for which they may be eligible. It has been shown that when a patient is qualified through PointCare, approval rates increase 53%. The platform helps health systems, providers, and staff easily manage the enrollment process with centralized data, including screening results, enrollment tasks, and automatic Medicaid verifications. Their streamlined approach will help IHDE stakeholders and participants maximize approvals and improve patient satisfaction. In addition, PointCare’s integrated reporting will allow health systems and providers to share data and enhance operational efficiency in their facilities.
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Idaho Libraries Connect Communities with Needed Services
We want all Idahoans to have equitable access to the information and communication technology that is vital for life in the 21st century, but that is easier said than done -- particularly in some rural areas of our state.
According to the National Digital Inclusion Alliance, digital inclusion includes five elements:
- affordable, robust broadband internet service
- internet-enabled devices that meet the needs of the user
- access to digital literacy training
- quality technical support
- applications and online content designed to enable and encourage self-sufficiency, participation, and collaboration
Along with its traditional offerings of books and classes, today’s library is often a community’s source for a wealth of services and resources, including those related to digital inclusion.
The Idaho Commission for Libraries (ICfL) is also working with stakeholders to ensure more Idahoans have access to digital resources and services. The ICfL is holding a digital inclusion summit via Zoom, March 2-3, 2022. Registration will open soon and more information will be located at https://libraries.idaho.gov/digital-inclusion/.
Another nontraditional way libraries aid their communities is through telehealth and other teleservices. Recently, through support from the Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation, telehealth sites were established in the Clearwater County public libraries. The Orofino and Weippe libraries have strengthened partnerships with area health providers and are scheduling telehealth appointments on a regular basis, often saving their patrons many hours of drive time to get their health needs met. Plans are underway to expand library telehealth sites in 2022 and beyond, working with local and state partners to implement best practices and promote these options. For more on the telehealth initiative, contact the ICfL’s Amelia Valasek at Amelia.Valasek@libraries.idaho.gov.
Staff of Idaho’s libraries work with a variety of agencies and partners to meet -- and exceed -- the needs of their communities in dynamic and innovative ways.
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1607 W. Jefferson Street,
Boise, ID 83702
(208) 947-4295
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This project is/was supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number U77HP03022, for the WWAMI Area Health Education (WWAMI AHEC) Program Office and its five regional Centers in the total amount of $840,630 for the 2020-2021 fiscal year (with a 1:1 total match of $840,630 from non-federally funded governmental sources). This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government. |
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