Idaho
Recent legislation leads to new health care policies for teenagers in Idaho – East Idaho News
POCATELLO — Public health officials are announcing how a recently passed state bill could affect teenagers who seek medical care.
The legislation that’s prompted this is Idaho Senate Bill 1329, which was signed March 21 and makes it so that minors who go seeking nonemergent, life-threatening medical care will no longer be able to receive it without in-person parental consent.
Southeast Idaho Public Health put out a release on May 8, announcing that its policies would have to change, just like every health care provider, to meet the requirements of the legislation.
“We’re going to be pretty rigorous about how we evaluate parental permission because we don’t want to violate this new statute,” said District Director Maggie Mann.
Before this legislation, Idaho law allowed for a health care provider to provide care for patients over the age of 14 if they were assessed to have the maturity and cognitive ability to seek it on their own. This law overrides this, while also allowing a parent or guardian to access their dependent’s health records.
The public health district offers a variety of services a minor might need, such as counseling, reproductive health care, vaccines and more.
A provider perceived as to have failed to comply with this law could be subject to private lawsuits.
Mann expressed concern for how the new law would affect vaccination efforts.
The district has historically done vaccination clinics at high schools, and how they worked before was that a child would take a parental permission slip home and bring it back in order to be vaccinated. The district will continue to run the clinics, but parents will have to come to the school in person to give consent for their child to be vaccinated.
“Parents really rely on those because they work, and they can’t always take time away to get a kid into an appointment,” Mann said.
Mann specified that it was the norm for all health care providers in Idaho to provide care to teenagers 14 and older as long as they were deemed as capable.
The public health district also, “always strongly encouraged parental communication about health care seeking,” but said that there were some circumstances where kids don’t feel safe to talk to a parent or guardian about a need.
Mann said that when some teenagers make the choice to become sexually active, and they could choose to not seek contraception to avoid their parents finding out. This could bring about an unplanned pregnancy or an STD. They could also choose not to seek counseling even if they’re struggling.
“That’s probably our major area of concern, is kids for whom the dynamics of the relationship are such that it might place them in some kind of jeopardy to have a conversation about this,” Mann said.
Mann emphasized that situations where a minor came forward to seek services without their parent knowing was rare.
“In most households, those conversations are happening, which is great, but there are a handful of families for whom those conversations are either just super uncomfortable or could potentially place the person in some kind of harm,” Mann said.
Mann said that Southeast Idaho Public Health encourages minors to approach their parents or guardians with any health issues that they’re having.
“Sometimes we build up in our minds that a conversation is going to be a certain way, but we don’t really know,” Mann said. “So we just really encourage those kids to have those conversations with their parents.”
Eastern Idaho Public Health offered the same advice in a statement.
“Eastern Idaho Public Health has always encouraged parents talking with their children about their health, and will continue to promote education and further discussion in order to make positive and healthy choices throughout their lives,” said James Corbett, director at Eastern Idaho Public Health.
Children or teenagers in an unsafe situation can find help with the Rise Up Youth Crisis Center, at 1140 Science Center Drive in Idaho Falls, which can be reached by phone at (208) 826-0994.
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Idaho
The worst fate for Idaho’s public lands? Private ownership. The second-worst fate? State management.
TWIN FALLS, Idaho — A new organization in Idaho’s Magic Valley aims to boost voter participation in local elections, where Republican dominance means primary winners often secure final seats unopposed.
Magic Valley Voter Services outlined its goals at a press conference on Tuesday, focusing on increasing voter turnout, particularly in primary elections.
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Magic Valley group targets low voter turnout in Idaho primaries
“The primary and the general [elections] are extremely important for this area,” said Dr. Steven Kohtz, a member of the South Central Medical Society.
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According to official election results from the Idaho Secretary of State’s Office, almost 28% of registered voters cast ballots in the 2024 primary, representing just 19% of the voting-age population.
Kohtz said the best way to get representation that speaks for more Idahoans is to increase participation in these elections.
“If enough people are voting consistently, then our legislators are going to be voting the way that the Magic Valley as a whole would want them to vote,” Kohtz said.
The group aims to energize voters and provide information to help them make informed decisions.
Lisa Hymas, another member of the organization, said the group also wants to hold lawmakers accountable on issues like education.
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“I’ve had two kids graduate from Twin Falls High School. I have two more currently there,” Hymas said. “I am invested in seeing the public schools be a foundational part of the education in the state.”
Hymas expressed concern that legislators are listening more to outside interests than to those of local constituents.
“It does seem like these legislators are just leaning more toward voices that may come from out-of-state interest, and that’s not who’s voting, that’s not who’s living the real consequences of what happens,” Hymas said.
Kohtz noted that fewer local lawmakers have been attending the South Central Medical Society’s, an event that invites lawmakers to an annual dinner to discuss legislative priorities.
“This year in the Twin Falls area, we only had two out of the six legislators take us up on that, and that’s the second year in a row,” Kohtz said.
– This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been, in part, converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Idaho
Idaho State Police Pushing Awareness During National Human Trafficking Prevention Month – Local News 8
The following is a news release from the Idaho State Police.
MERIDIAN, Idaho — January is National Human Trafficking Prevention Month, and the Idaho State Police is partnering with the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance for the annual Human Trafficking Awareness Initiative. The five-day, nationwide effort begins today and runs through Friday, focusing on awareness of human trafficking across Idaho’s transportation corridors.
Because traffickers frequently rely on highways and commercial transportation routes, education along Idaho’s roadways plays a critical role in identifying victims and preventing further harm. Throughout 2025, ISP Commercial Vehicle Safety specialists received specialized training to better recognize trafficking indicators. This week, those specialists will focus on sharing that knowledge with drivers and members of the community.
“As commercial vehicle enforcement professionals, we see the road from a unique perspective,” Captain Jason Bailey of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Division said. “This initiative is designed to equip drivers and carriers with the ability to recognize potential signs of trafficking and to report those concerns. Increased awareness and informed reporting can make a meaningful difference for victims and our communities.”
Human trafficking crimes typically involve an act, a means and a purpose, and may include force, fraud or coercion. Data from the Idaho Office of the Attorney General highlights the challenges in identifying and prosecuting trafficking cases. Between 2020 and 2024, Idaho recorded 39 trafficking-related convictions, seven of which were felonies. During the same period, Uniform Crime Reporting data reflected only two arrests, underscoring the gap between trafficking activity and confirmed criminal cases.
The National Human Trafficking Hotline is a federally authorized, 24/7 confidential resource for reporting tips and connecting victims with services. In 2024, the hotline received 72 contacts from Idaho, identifying 32 potential trafficking cases involving 49 victims related to both sex and labor trafficking.
Report suspected human trafficking:
- Call: 1-888-373-7888
- Text: 233733 (Text “HELP” or “INFO”)
- Online: humantraffickinghotline.org
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