'Healthcare at Risk'

Women in Idaho are traveling farther, waiting longer, and working harder to get needed healthcare, according to public health worker Brinnon Mandel. 

Between 2022 and 2024 Idaho lost more than one-third of its OB/GYN providers. And with some rural hospitals no longer providing obstetrics, mothers in labor may have to travel up to two hours to a hospital, a press release said.

To inform the public about this growing crisis, the League of Women Voters of Kootenai County, along with Heritage Health, Kootenai Health, and in partnership with Nonpartisan Doctors of CdA, Idaho for All and DART, will present “Idaho Women’s Healthcare At Risk: A Community Forum” on April 19 from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Coeur d’Alene Public Library. 

 “This conversation is about people,” said Mike Baker, CEO of Heritage Health, and a member of the organizing group. “Behind every headline is a mother, a daughter, a family trying to figure out how to get the care they need. When we listen to each other and stay focused on solutions, we move forward together.”

According to the planning group, increasing travel for women’s specialty care is adding time, cost, and stress to situations that are often already high-risk and heart-wrenching. Even in counties such as Kootenai where there are OB/Gyn doctors, finding appointments can be challenging.  

Richard Palagi, a retired hospital executive with 40 years of experience, said that workforce shortages and financial pressures are placing strain on rural hospitals, raising concerns about long-term access to care. 

General practice doctors are forced to fill gaps in specialized women’s health services. For uninsured and underinsured women, the costs of care remain a growing barrier and lead to delays in treatment which in the end become even more costly. 

The group points out other ways these challenges impact everyone in the state. Limited access to care affects pregnancy outcomes, chronic disease management, mental health, the overall well-being of families and communities. Loss of providers and constant threats of Medicaid reduction add costs to patients, taxpayers and everyone’s insurance. 

"All this deeply affects the perception of Idah as a desirable place to live and do business," the release said.

The forum will include an overview of the healthcare landscape affecting women in Idaho; reflections from local providers about what they are seeing in their practices; personal stories from patients struggling to navigate the system; possibilities for collaboration and next steps.

Speakers will be:

Amber Nelson, MA, executive director of the Idaho Coalition for Safe Healthcare Foundation.