Idaho CareLine
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The daily activities of the Public Health – Idaho North Central District (PH-INCD) are often not visible to the public. When we are successful, it is seldom noticeable unless there is a community crisis or a communicable disease outbreak, like hepatitis or meningitis.
We are the direct result of a partnership agreement between the legislature and the counties. The seven independent Public Health Districts which cover all of Idaho’s 44 counties provide preventive health services and education for healthy life-style choices. We contract with the Department of Health and Welfare to offer state-mandated programs. We were created by the 1970 Legislature to ensure that preventive public health services are available to all citizens of the state – no matter how small or large their county population.
The Health Districts accomplish their mission through the following programs and services:
The Public Health Districts receive about 31% of their funding from the counties and the state. The other 69% comes from contracts and fees. Joint funding from the county property tax and the state general fund creates a partnership so that all of Idaho’s citizens will benefit — no matter the size, location, or population of the county. The District partnership has served Idaho well since 1971 and has received national attention because of the way it provides decentralized Public Health services designed to meet the unique needs of the citizens of each District.
Idaho’s 44 counties are grouped into seven Public Health Districts and are governed by policy boards appointed by the county commissioners in those Districts.
Many states have a separate Public Health Department for each county. In fact, some cities in other states have their own Public Health Departments. While Idaho has only seven Public Health Departments, some states have over a hundred. In other states, health services vary from county to county and city to city, depending on local resources. It is no wonder other states are looking at Idaho’s model!