Letters to the editor: Housing First, Ted Epperly, Snake River dams
Housing First
After reading the quote from Ryan Davidson regarding New Path residents as “the worst of the worst,” I have to agree. These people have had the “worst” health care, the “worst” opportunities in life, the “worst” family support and often, just the “worst” luck. That does not mean they don’t deserve all the support our community can give them. Perhaps some won’t benefit, but it does not mean that as an empathic society we don’t need to give them the chance to improve the hand that has been dealt. When I hear “Don’t give a hand out, give a hand up” that is what I see. A place to sleep while feeling safe should be basic.
Jane Garets Case, Boise
Ted Epperly
It was my honor to have served on the Central District Health Board of Health for almost all of the 15 years that Dr. Ted Epperly was on the board. During that time, I was chairman of the board, president of the Idaho State Boards of Health and president of the National Association of Local Boards of Health. Dr. Epperly was one of the most informed and valuable members of any board of health in the nation. As president and CEO of the Family Medicine Residency of Idaho, he is in a position to bring vast resources of knowledge, expertise and assistance to the board and to public health in Idaho. There is no room for politics in public health. It is almost impossible to measure the amount of death and misery that Dr. Epperly has helped to prevent in Idaho during his time with the board. To not reappoint him would be to withhold a vast resource from the people of this area and from Idaho that is so very much needed at this time.
Steven Scanlin, Boise
Columbia Basin Initiative
I’m entering my junior year at Timberline High School. My family and I call Idaho home because of its outdoors. We love the Boise River, the Sawtooth Mountains, Payette Lake and Bogus Basin. It only takes a trip to the concrete jungles of New York or Texas to gain an appreciation of the natural beauty of our state. As Idaho grows, we’re at risk of losing a lot of this natural beauty which motivates many to live here. We need to stop taking our natural resources for granted. The Columbia Basin issue is a prime example of that. There is not one valid reason to keep the four Lower Snake dams. Their power is replaceable with more affordable options, the ports and Bonneville Power are losing money, and they don’t provide flood control or substantial irrigation. The only argument I can perceive is that a bunch of old politicians are afraid of change. Whether we like it or not, Idaho is changing. We need to act now to preserve our values and natural resources. I’m calling Senator Crapo’s office to support Congressman Simpson’s Columbia Basin Initiative and I urge readers to do the same.
Katherine Garman, Boise
Support for Epperly
Dr. Ted Epperly, who has served on the Central District Health board for 15 years, is likely the most respected and nationally recognized family physician in Idaho. He has served as president of American Academy of Family Physicians and as health adviser to former presidents, both Republican and Democrat. He dedicated the last 20 years of his career to the education of family physicians throughout Idaho.
The mission of our state health districts is: 1) to prevent disease, disability and premature death; 2) to promote healthy lifestyles; 3) to protect the quality of the environment. The Ada County commissioners who decided to let Dr. Epperly go because he advised the board during a pandemic are misinformed. Commissioner Davidson’s statement that the mask mandate “failed the greatest moral test of a generation” is complete hyperbole. A mask mandate during a respiratory viral pandemic that has killed far too many U.S. citizens protects everyone.
The commissioners desire a new physician with “a different perspective who represents the community” and stated that a mask mandate “failed the scientific test.” Hopefully that physician will listen to available medical science and advise accordingly, not based on pseudo-science. They already had the right person!
Angie Devitt, Boise