Got a question about coronavirus? You can’t call Idaho’s statewide hotline anymore
The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare abruptly shut down the statewide coronavirus hotline Friday morning, as state officials increasingly shift responsibility for managing the pandemic to local jurisdictions.
Dave Jeppesen, the state health department director, announced the deactivation of the phone line at the end of a blog post explaining why Idaho did not meet the criteria to move out of Stage 4 of the Idaho Rebounds plan.
“Idaho’s response to COVID-19 is now primarily local or regional in nature, and the need for a statewide hotline has changed,” Jeppesen wrote. “The state of Idaho and the Governor’s Office will continue to monitor statewide COVID-19 activity and work closely with the seven local public health districts across the state to ensure the health and safety of Idahoans, but the local districts will have more information about COVID-19 in their communities than we will have at the state level.”
That same day, both Idaho and the state’s most populous county posted record numbers of coronavirus cases. Central District Health had already moved Ada County back to Stage 3 earlier in the week, closing bars and reapplying restrictions on large events.
About 15 employees often fielded more than a thousand calls a week, health department spokeswoman Niki Forbing-Orr said, ranging from 1,200 to 3,210 calls every week. The highest number of calls on one day was on April 23 — the day Idaho Gov. Brad Little announced the state’s reopening plan.
Now, the state is directing Idahoans with questions about coronavirus, safely reopening businesses and other topics to local health district call centers used to fielding 10-15 calls a day. Several Idaho health districts told the Idaho Statesman their call volumes have decreased significantly since March.
“Our English line receives approximately 10 calls a day and our Spanish line receives somewhere around five calls,” said Brianna Bodily, the spokeswoman for the South Central Public Health District based in Twin Falls. “The calls are also often longer now. When our call center was launched we answered a lot of questions concerning basic COVID-19 information but now people are looking for guidance about very specific situations.”
Staff at Central District Health and Southwest District Health, which includes Canyon County, are training Medical Reserve Corps volunteers to respond to any increases in call volume. Central District Health spokeswoman Christine Myron said staff could get 100 calls on a busy day — like after a new public health order is announced or the governor speaks. The health district also received frequent referrals from people who called the state call center with more regional questions.
With the announcement of a first case in rural Boise County, community spread in Valley County and Ada County’s return to Stage 3 in the same week, Central District Health staff planned to open the call center on Saturday.
“We are grateful for the state’s hotline and its support to provide our citizens with timely information about this response,” Myron said.
Local health district coronavirus hotlines
Central District Health in Boise: 208-321-2222 (English and Spanish)
Southwest District Health in Caldwell: 208-455-5411 (English and Spanish)
South Central Public Health District in Twin Falls: 208-737-1138 for English and 208-737-5965 for Spanish
