Project ECHO Idaho

This profile is part of our Community Partner Spotlight series where we celebrate the important work of our grantees and partners across the communities we serve. These organizations share our belief that every person should have an equal opportunity to live the healthiest life possible, and we're honored to work alongside them toward meaningful change. Throughout this series, you can expect to gain insight into a wide array of nonprofit organizations that are helping us create healthier and more resilient communities.

Focus area supported:

Health Care Workforce

Geographic area served:

Idaho

About Project ECHO Idaho:

Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) Idaho, based at the University of Idaho, works to improve care among underserved communities through education and training. Through a collaborative virtual learning environment, Project ECHO equips health care and educational professionals with tools and expertise needed to address unique health challenges faced in various regions of the state.

Our Partnership:

Project ECHO Idaho’s ECHO for Education series, developed with support from the Cambia Health Foundation, provides free, high-quality professional development for Idaho’s K-12 educators, counselors and school staff. Training sessions bring together interdisciplinary experts in education and health care to share strategies, resources and real-world applications to support students—particularly those with autism, behavioral health challenges and sensory needs. Participants consistently report increased confidence and clarity in how to support students and collaborate with families.

The Cambia Health Foundation grant helped establish a new program series in the 2023-2024 school year focused on School-Based Behavioral Health. The goal was to increase knowledge and skills among school-based staff to improve K-12 student access to quality behavioral health care and mental health resources. Over 16 sessions, 234 attendees from more than 30 Idaho counties participated. Attendees reported high satisfaction scores and earned continuing education credits free of charge.

Cambia Health Foundation recently committed additional funding toward another community-identified priority at Project ECHO: Idaho’s Pediatric Psychiatry Access Line initiative. With only 11 child and adolescent psychiatrists serving the entire state, there’s a severe shortage of behavioral health care support for children. The Foundation is funding a one-year planning period to implement the initiative, which will connect pediatricians and families they serve, particularly those in rural areas, to high-quality virtual behavioral health care services.

In their words:

“The Cambia Health Foundation provided critical financial support that has allowed ECHO Idaho to establish an active professional online learning community connecting K12 professionals with the state's leading health care experts and with one another. Now in its second year, the ECHO for Education training series is providing connection and support for all rural school-based counselors, psychologists, social workers, classroom teachers and administrators. To date, we’ve served about 800 unique participants and provided nearly 4,000 hours of training.”
- Eric Studebaker, Director of University of Idaho School of Health and Medical Professions, Project ECHO Idaho