Eliza Clark-Community Health Trends in North Idaho

I spoke with Mike Larson who is the Division Administrator for Family Planning, Immunizations, STD's/HIV, and Epidemiology at the Lewiston, Idaho public health office for District 2 of Idaho, which encompasses all of North Idaho.  He told me about several issues that the office has been dealing with recently and the trends of these issues. 

Mr. Larson said that the largest issue the office has been dealing with is the implementation and the effects of the new Affordable Care Act.  There is much uncertainty regarding the Affordable Care Act, so it is the job of the Public Health office to make sure that all people are still cared for.  He said that they deal with a new problem every day, but the overall concern regarding the Affordable Care Act is that there may be a period of time when federal funding will go away, but before all have insurance.  During this gap, the poorest people will not have the resources to pay their medical expenses.  This can spiral into other issues, so the health office is working to prevent the effects.

The second issue Mr. Larson mentioned was the future of family planning.  Family planning is very important for the health of the community, especially as teenage pregnancies are increasing in North Idaho.  There are also increasing rates of unplanned pregnancies. The Health office already offers many services related to family planning, but they are working on expanding their reach to all those who need it.  The Affordable Care Act will also change parts of the family planning program. 

The next two issues affecting North Idaho are STD's and HIV.  These are both seen in increasing rates in the area.  Mr. Larson mentioned that the increase could be due to more people seeking treatment or more tests being done, or an actual rise in the number of cases.  In Idaho there is almost no funding for HIV.  This makes the job of the public health officials more difficult because the necessary programs cost money that they do not have funding for. 

The final issue affecting North Idaho that Mr. Larson mentioned was the impact of food borne illnesses.  As with the other issues, the incidence of food borne illness is increasing.  This is something that the public health office is trying to combat.  It negatively effects the community in several ways, through lost productivity, increased sickness and health care costs, and more.

Anther issue facing Northern Idaho that Mr. Larson alluded to during our conversation is that of the rising costs of health care.  He said that when the costs of health care increase, fewer people utilize those resources.  Many people cannot afford the rising expenses.  With fewer people using the preventative measures, more people will get sick overall.  This directly influences the spread of STD's and HIV as well as other infectious diseases.  Preventative care is essential for decreasing the rates of all the issues Mr. Larson described.

There are many diverse issues in public health in North Idaho.  From implementing federal programs, to spread of STD's, to food borne illnesses, public health is a diverse field.  As rates are increasing in all of the main issues in North Idaho, the public health officials have lots of work to do to keep the population safe.