MY TURN: Idaho needs solutions from the middle

Idaho is changing fast, and not always in ways that make life easier. Medicaid cuts, school funding shortfalls and a constant reshuffling of how we pay for things, it all adds up. These shifts aren’t abstract. They show up in the waiting room, in the classroom and in the checkout line at the grocery store. 

I see it every day at Heritage Health. When families lose coverage or face higher costs, they delay care. When schools can’t keep up, kids slip behind. And when the social safety net stretches thin, it’s hospitals, teachers, food banks and local nonprofits that absorb the shock. North Idaho knows this better than most, when systems crack, neighbors step in. 

We all understand that charity and volunteerism are powerful, but they can’t carry everything policy leaves behind. We need better answers. Not the loud ones shouted from the extremes, but solutions built in the middle, where common sense lives. 

At Heritage Health’s Center for Healthy Living, we’re already seeing what happens when health care becomes more connected. Just recently, a patient finally felt ready to begin treatment after years of barriers and setbacks. Because mental health providers were in the same building and available through same-day access, she was able to start that very day. No waiting, no slipping through the cracks, just a team ready to meet her when she needed it most. 

At the same time, our new Rapid Care clinic in Post Falls is reshaping how urgent needs are handled. For too long, urgent care has been fragmented, sending patients back and forth between providers with little coordination. At Rapid Care, it may not always be your own primary care provider seeing you, but it’s still someone from the same coordinated team. That means your care is connected, your records are in the same system, and follow-up is smoother. No more bouncing around, just one team working together to make sure you’re cared for. 

And this is only the beginning. In the next phase of the Center for Healthy Living, we’re building programs that reach further upstream: 

• Food as medicine initiatives to help prevent and manage conditions like diabetes and heart disease. 

• Expanded access to physical activity and mental health services that treat the whole person. 

• Programs in women’s health that address needs often overlooked but deeply felt in our communities. 

The payoff is clear. Prevention is less expensive than crisis care. Students who are healthier learn better. Families with the right support are stronger and more engaged in their communities. Every dollar invested wisely today avoids higher costs tomorrow. 

North Idaho is known for independence, grit and pride. But independence doesn’t mean going it alone. It means having the strength to invest in ourselves, together, so we don’t end up paying more in hidden ways later. 

We can have real conversations about taxes, budgets and priorities without turning it into a fight over who’s “right” or “wrong.” We all want the same things: kids who grow up with opportunity, families who can get care when they need it and communities strong enough to weather whatever comes next. 

My call is simple: Let’s bring the debate back to outcomes. Let’s stop letting the loudest voices on the fringes dictate the conversation. Idaho deserves solutions from the middle — practical, durable and built to last. 

At Heritage Health, we’ll keep moving forward, showing that prevention works, that innovation can be local and that care delivered with dignity is always worth the investment. I hope Idaho will join us there, in the middle, where the real work gets done. 

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Mike Baker is the CEO of Heritage Health.