The Pro‑Voice Project Presents:
OBGYN Care on the Line, a Community Conversation at the Sandpoint Library
SANDPOINT, IDAHO — The Pro-Voice Project will host “OBGYN Care on the Line: A Community Conversation” at the Sandpoint Library on Thursday, January 22, 5:30–7:00 p.m. The listening-first forum invites Bonner and Boundary County residents to talk together about how the loss of OBGYN capacity is reshaping reproductive care locally and what options still exist to support the health of families and our community.
The program builds on PVP’s exhibit at the library about OBGYN 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 January 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 impacted clinicians, and a few grounding statistics from recent research on Idaho’s obstetric workforce. A JAMA Network Open research letter (July 31, 2025) documented a 35% decrease in OBGYNs 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 OBGYNs means on the ground. We can’t build something better if we forget what better looks like.”
“Communities change when communities talk,” she continued. “This is a chance to build awareness about local provider gaps and remaining care options, while envisioning a realistic pathway to better reproductive healthcare access for all.”
The event is free and open to the public at the Sandpoint Library; 1407 Cedar St. Participants will include local and regional healthcare providers who can offer clarity on the current care landscape. For more information, contact jen@theprovoiceproject.com or call 208‑920‑3564.