The Pro-Voice Project hosts ‘OB-GYN Care on the Line’
January 20, 2026
By Reader Staff
The Pro-Voice Project will host “OB-GYN Care on the Line: A Community Conversation” — a listening-first forum that invites Bonner County residents to talk about how the loss of OB-GYN capacity is reshaping reproductive care locally and what options still exist to support the health of families and our community.
Scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 22, from 5:30-7 p.m. at the Sandpoint branch of the East Bonner County Library (1407 Cedar St.), the program builds on PVP’s exhibit at the library about OB-GYN departures from Idaho, as well as the group’s Receiver story-collection booth. Together, this programming maps key data and gathers lived experience ahead of the Jan. 22 discussion.
Participants will circle for a moderated, respectful dialogue guided by short prompts: anonymized excerpts from community stories recorded in The Receiver, reflections from clinicians and a few grounding statistics from recent research on Idaho’s obstetric workforce.
A map showing drive times to reach an OB-GYN in North Idaho. Courtesy image.
A JAMA Network Open research letter, dated July 31, 2025, documented a 35% decrease in OB-GYNs practicing obstetrics in Idaho between August 2022 and December 2024, with 114 of 268 baseline obstetricians ceasing obstetric practice here — figures that help explain the widening care gaps residents now face.
“We in Sandpoint were the first in the state to be impacted by the loss of obstetric care, and we’re now approaching the third anniversary of that loss,” said Jen Jackson Quintano, executive director of The Pro-Voice Project. “It’s important that we not lose sight of what we once had and what the departure of our OB-GYNs means on the ground. We can’t build something better if we forget what better looks like.”
“Communities change when communities talk,” she added. “This is a chance to build awareness about local provider gaps and remaining care options, while envisioning a realistic pathway to better reproductive health care access for all.”
The event is free and open to the public. Participants will include local and regional health care providers who can offer clarity on the current care landscape. For more information, contact [email protected] or call 208‑920‑3564.
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