CULTURAL CONTEXT  

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The land around Lake Coeur d'Alene in Northern Idaho is home of the Schitsu’umsh nation.

The Schitsu'ums people's removal from their ancestral land to a reservation began in 1878 when Fort Sherman was built on the north shore of the lake. Mining, logging, and railroad interests followed and the city of Coeur d'Alene was incorporated in 1906. Today Coeur d'Alene is known as a center for outdoor recreation.

DEMOGRAPHICS  

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• The town of Coeur d'Alene is the smallest city of the Spokane-Spokane Valley-Coeur d'Alene metropolitan area and Spokane is the largest.

• The United States Census Bureau describes the population in this area as 81% White, 7% Hispanic or Latino, 2% Black, 2% Asian, 1% Native, and 1% Islander.

• The median income for a household in the metropolitan region is $52,596 and about 13.7% of the population lives below the poverty line (including 17.3% of people under the age of 18).

• Spokane is home to Fairchild Air Force Base.

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REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE ACCESS  

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• While residents of Washington state have access to the full-range of reproductive health care services, residents of Idaho do not. In Idaho, abortion is banned in almost all circumstances and the Idaho Supreme Court ruled in 2023 that there is no constitutional right to an abortion in the state. A U.S. Supreme Court ruling will allow access to emergency abortions while lower courts decide if the state’s ban violates a federal law requiring emergency care for any patient.

  • See Tracking Abortion Laws Across the Country from the New York Times.

  • See the 2024 State Scorecard on Women’s Health and Reproductive Care from the Commonwealth Fund.

• The nearest Planned Parenthood Clinics to our conference site are in the Spokane Valley. They offer a wide range of services, including abortion, birth control, emergency contraception, gender-affirming care, pregnancy testing, and STD testing and treatment.

• Idaho's only Planned Parenthood Clinic in Meridian, Idaho is a seven-hour drive from Coeur d'Alene. Their clinic can fill existing birth control prescriptions and offer services that don’t require a medical exam (e.g. birth control education and supplies, emergency contraception, pregnancy testing and counseling, STD testing, and testing and treatments for urinary tract infections). 

  • See The Impact of Medicaid and Title X on Planned Parenthood from KFF

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MATERNITY CARE ACCESS  

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• According to a March of Dimes 2023 report, in Idaho:

  • 30% of counties are defined as maternity care deserts 

  • 20% of women had no birthing hospital within 30 minutes of where they live

  • 5% of babies were born to women who live in rural counties, while 7% of maternity care providers practice in rural counties in Idaho. 

  • 27% of counties in Idaho have a high burden of chronic health conditions and a high rate of preterm birth.

• In Washington:

  • 20% of counties are defined as maternity care deserts 

  • In rural areas across Washington, 61.5% of women live over 30 minutes from a birthing hospital compared to 15.3% of women living in urban areas

  • 30% of live births were Cesarean deliveries​

  • 1 in 12 babies (8.7% of live births) was born preterm 

  • Read the reports.

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MATERNAL MENTAL HEALTH

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• The Washington State Perinatal Collaborative (WSPC) has prioritized Community Behavioral Health grants to fund five community organizations to implement programs related to the Maternal Mortality Review Panel's recommendation to, “Increase knowledge and skill of providers, patients, and families about behavioral health conditions during and after pregnancy, and the treatment and resources that are available for support.”

  • See Washington's 2025 Report Card from the Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health

• ​While Idaho's Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) funds programs that expand healthcare providers' capacity to screen, assess, treat, and refer pregnant and postpartum individuals for mental health and substance use disorders, the Idaho Perinatal Quality Collaborative (IPQC) does not currently prioritize mental health initiatives.

  • See Idaho's 2025 Report Card from the Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health

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CARE in the COMMUNITY

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• In 2023, 31% of mothers in Idaho had Medicaid at the time of birth.

• In 2023, 36% of mothers in Washington had Medicaid at the time of birth.

• Washington State's Medicaid program, Apple Health, offers postpartum coverage for up to 12 months after a pregnancy ends.

• In 2024, Idaho expanded postpartum Medicaid coverage from 60 days to a full year.

• Coeur d'Alene and the surrounding area is served by a community hospital with a 10-room Family Birth Center and a 12-room NICU. 

• Spokane and the Spokane Valley are served by four hospital systems, multiple birthing clinics, and Sacred Heart Children's Hospital which has a Level IV NICU with 61 Beds and MultiCare Deaconess Hospital that has a specialized care unit that practices the “Eat, Sleep, Console” model for babies who are substance exposed. UW School of Medicine, Gonzaga University, WSU Spokane, and Spokane Teaching Health Center provide academic training and support to the medical community.