Kaniksu Community Health receives chamber honors

SANDPOINT — Imagine integrated healthcare that treats people, not symptoms. That’s whole health.

Now imagine that same integrated care through all phases of your life. That’s whole health, for your whole life. That’s Kaniksu Community Health.

This month, KCH was honored as the Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce as the organization's Business of the Month.

KCH officials said the health care organization was launched in 2002 on the idea that every person in North Idaho, regardless of their circumstances, should have access to quality healthcare. It was a great start, yet it quickly became evident the community needed more, KCH officials said.

Soon, the facility added dental, behavioral health, pediatric and VA care. Being truly accessible meant they needed extended hours and more locations to better meet the community’s needs, so they added clinics in Priest River and Sandpoint.

After 20 years, making quality and affordable healthcare accessible to everyone is stall what drives Kaniksu every day, officials said. Some of the additional programs they’ve added over the years include in-school behavioral health in Bonner and Boundary County schools, out-patient opiate-addiction and substance abuse therapy, a mobile clinic which will deliver healthcare to the most rural areas of the state's two northernmost counties, the achievement of a Level 3 Patient Center Medical home, and now its new purpose-build integrated clinic in Sandpoint.

Ranked in the top 10% of community health centers in the nation, Kaniksu Community Health is committed to providing care that is accessible to everyone. Kaniksu accepts Medicaid, Medicare, private insurance, and self-pay patients. A sliding scale program is available for those meeting in come guidelines. Most importantly - no one will be turned away due to inability to pay.