Health and wellbeing in Boundary County
Health and wellbeing
Family and consumer sciences programs work to improve the quality of life of adults, children and families — specifically through healthy lifestyles, nutrition, food safety and financial management. Contact the UI Extension, Boundary County office at boundary@uidaho.edu or 208-267-3235 for information on current classes and programs.
Health and nutrition classes
UI Extension, Boundary County strives to address the health and wellness needs of the community by offering programs in strength training, proper nutrition and mental health.
Eat Smart Idaho
Eat Smart Idaho provides nutrition and physical activity education for limited resource Idahoans. Eat Smart Idaho helps adults and families learn the basics of healthy eating, smart shopping, food safety, quick meal preparation, managing limited grocery dollars and higher levels of physical activity.
Classes are taught at emergency food sites, food stamp offices, adult rehabilitation centers, public housing sites and schools with many free and reduced lunch participants.
Strong women
Strong Women is an inexpensive, 10-week strength training program for women of all ages and abilities. You will have more strength and flexibility soon after starting this program. Research shows that strength training also improves bone density, reduces falls and improves arthritis symptoms.
Cost to attend the twice-a-week classes is $30. All equipment is provided. Contact the UI Extension, Boundary County office at boundary@uidaho.edu or 208-267-3235 to sign up.
Class choices:
- 8:30 a.m., Tuesday-Thursday: Strong Women Stay Young
- 10:30 a.m., Tuesday-Thursday: Strong Women Strong Bones
Mental health first aid
Mental Health First Aid is a certification program to help individuals understand and respond to signs of mental illnesses and substance use disorders.
Just as CPR helps you assist an individual having a heart attack — even with no clinical training — Mental Health First Aid helps you assist someone experiencing a mental health related crisis.
QPR suicide prevention
QPR stands for Question, Persuade, Refer. It is an evidenced-based, 1.5 hour training program to help individuals respond to someone in a mental health crisis and thinking about suicide.
Participants will learn how to:
- Recognize the warning signs of suicide
- Offer hope
- Get help and save a life
Food safety and preservation
UI Extension, Boundary County offers programming focused on canning, freezing and drying at home and food safety for future restaurant employees. Canning, freezing and drying have long been used as safe methods for food preservation. Using correct techniques ensures the quality and safety of the food.
Hands-on and virtual class topics include:
- Food preservation — pressure canning, boiling water canning, dehydration, freezing, freeze drying, fermentation and pickling
- Food preparation — smoking and grilling, jerky making, using herbs in fresh and preserved foods and air frying
- Holiday food hacks
- Safe gifts from the kitchen
- Germ City — a hand washing unit for youth
- You can find current, research-based recommendations from The National Center for Home Preservation and the UI Extension, Boundary County office.
Dial pressure gauge testing
Planning on canning? As a safety precaution, dial gauges need to be tested yearly, and more often if you are using your pressure canner all year long. You can bring your canner into the UI Extension, Boundary County office for testing. Cost is $2 and you should plan on leaving the canner with us for 24 hours.
Preserve at Home
Preserve@Home is an online class that provides research-based food preservation education. Participants learn how to produce high quality preserved foods and the science behind food preservation and safety. Anyone with an interest in food preservation and food safety, even those with little or no previous experience, are welcome.
Each lesson includes information that can be downloaded and printed, an online discussion board to facilitate interaction, a real-time chat with classmates and open book lesson quizzes to assess what you learned.
For more information, contact Laura Sant at lsant@uidaho.edu.
Food safety advisor
This is a hands-on food safety volunteer program that teaches participants how to safely preserve food products. Participants who successfully complete the program are certified as University of Idaho Extension Master Food Safety Advisors. Successful participants are also eligible to certify as Advanced Master Food Safety Advisors the following year.
Personal finances
UI Extension resources and programming can help improve the money management practices of Idahoans. View statewide programs related to personal and family finance.
Contact Amy Robertson at 208-267-3235 or amrobertson@uidaho.edu to learn about classes in Boundary County.
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