Clinic's funding only make sense over the long run

With millions going toward pork barrel projects and schemes benefiting a select few, a federal grant funding Idaho's popular mobile health clinic was a rare exception.

Not only did the clinic promote preventative care for Idaho's low-income residents, but it did so in a cost-effective manner.

Unfortunately, A $200,000-a-year federal grant funding the popular clinic is set to expire in April.

Since it started 18 months ago, the clinic has treated more than 2,500 people. Operated by North Idaho Partners in Health, the mobile clinic brings immunizations and treatment for common health concerns from headaches to the flu as well as dental checkups and X-rays.

The clinic was a combined effort by the Panhandle Health District, the region's five hospitals, Benewah Medical and Wellness center, Aging and Adult Services and North Idaho College Head Start.

Mark Anderson, who manages the mobile clinic, hopes to see North Idaho's three community clinics adopt the mobile clinic. Unfortunately, those clinics also face the challenge of funding their own operation and may not be able to easily take over the mobile clinic.

When the mobile clinic first began, it saw mostly the unemployed and out-of-work. Now, patients are the so-called working poor — a category that seems to be increasing on a daily basis as housing costs and daily expenses continue to escalate in the region.

This is a project that could and should be funded by the federal and state government.

Long-term, funding the mobile clinic as well as the local community clinics only makes sense. It costs less to pay for preventative care than to pay double, triple or more for that same treatment when the patients ends up in the local hospital's emergency department because there's nowhere else to go.

Pay less now or pay more letter?

Not that hard of a decision, is it?

Caroline Lobsinger is the managing editor of the Daily Bee.