Department of Health and Welfare Closes Offices Every Other Friday Afternoon

Due to budget reductions, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare (DHW) will close all 48 of its offices for a half day every other Friday afternoon until the end of the current fiscal year.

DHW offices will close for business at noon on:

January 22
February 5 and 19
March 5 and 19
April 2, 16 and 30
May 14 and 28
June 11

DHW employees will take 4 hours of unpaid furlough during the office closures, resulting in a state general fund savings of approximately $1.5 million. During these closures, the DHW Director’s office will remain open. The closures will not affect essential services such as crisis response for mental health or response to child protection calls for abuse or neglect. Also, the state’s two state mental health hospitals and Idaho State School and Hospital will maintain 24/7 operations.

People seeking assistance during those hours can access information through the DHW website at www.healthandwelfare.idaho.gov, or they can contact office staff on the following Monday.

Note: This announcement by the Idaho Department of Health & Welfare will not affect the operations of the Central District Health Department. CDHD intends to continue operating with normal business hours. Call 375-5211 or visit us at www.cdhd.idaho.gov for more information.