Osteopathic Health Policy Fellows Discuss Challenges in Rural Idaho

From October 17-19, 2024, the Osteopathic Health Policy Fellowship (OHPF) held a productive second session in Meridian, Idaho, hosted by the Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine (ICOM). Over two and a half days, sessions were centered on the unique health challenges facing Idaho, the 11th geographically largest state in the United States, but also one of the smallest by population. 

Gathering at the Idaho State Capitol on the first day, the fellows met with legislators, a key member of the Idaho governor’s health policy team and the director of the Idaho Department of Health & Welfare. On the second day, held at ICOM’s campus, the fellows engaged with the CEO of the Idaho Medical Association and the president of the Idaho Rural Health Association. 

The common thread of all sessions was workforce challenges, especially those shaped by reproductive health policy developments in Idaho. The fellows toured the beautiful Idaho State Capitol and experienced the impressive ICOM campus. At the end of the two days, joined by an ICOM student leader from the Student Osteopathic Medical Association, the fellows undertook an immersive training in the philosophical underpinnings of “servant leadership.”

The OHPF’s next session, on federal health policy, will be held in December in Bethesda, Maryland, and Washington, DC, hosted by AACOM.