Dirne Center ‘safety net’ for under-, uninsured

The need for health care in Kootenai County “is cause for concern,” says Dirne Community Health Center board member Linda LaMott,

Some 25,000 Kootenai County residents don’t have health insurance, 200 residents with immediate medical needs are on the Dirne waiting list, and only 6,000 residents currently have access to Dirne services, she says.

“If your income is limited and you do not have medical insurance, you can get help at Dirne,” says LaMott. “Dirne is a safety net that provides for those who otherwise might not have access to primary care because they cannot afford it.”

Dirne Community Health Center is a nonprofit corporation and a federally qualified community health center with 15 exam rooms. The medical center serves people who lack resources to primary health care services, are on Medicare, Medicaid, TriCare and those on a limited income with private health insurance.

It is the only organization of its kind in Kootenai County. The health center’s mission is to improve the health status of underserved populations. An average of 6,000 people a year visit the facility with 15,000 total visits.

LaMott, a licensed health insurance agent who owns LaMott Agency, has directed her volunteer energy to Dirne, serving as chairwoman of the community relations committee. Her primary responsibility is the health center’s visibility in the community through education. She also serves on the executive and finance committees.

“Dirne was a way to help people that I could not help from the insurance standpoint,” she says.

Services are directed toward those whose income is 200 percent of the federal poverty level and below. LaMott says that no access to health care results in worsening illnesses, deterioration in health status, and visits to the hospital emergency room.

“The impact on the community is time lost from work, the financial burden of caring for preventable illnesses, and disruption of services,” says LaMott.

In 1989, with the vision and passion of Lidwin Dirne, and other community members, a volunteer-run free clinic was established in Coeur d’Alene to serve the uninsured. The clinic was open two nights a week, and sometimes only one doctor was available.

Originally from the Netherlands, Dirne came to Coeur d’Alene and was struck by the lack of access to health care for underinsured and uninsured families.

In 2003 Dirne’s board of directors sought and won federal funding to become a federally qualified community health center under a program designed to improve access to health care for people without insurance – mostly because the patient load was so large.

Dirne offers a sliding fee scale to those who cannot afford health-care services or do not have insurance, and a large percentage of Dirne’s patients pay a reduced fee for services.

The center receives a portion of its total operational budget from a federal grant administered through the Bureau of Primary Health Care.

Services are provided through the medical clinic, which includes primary medical care and discounted prescription drugs; the Successful Aging and Geriatric Evaluation Center, which focuses on health care for seniors; a memory clinic for those with cognitive challenges; and behavioral health care which includes adult and marriage counseling.

Dirne Dental Clinic works with approximately 10 volunteer dentists, providing urgent care to qualified patients. The clinic is equipped largely through donations from dentists and dental supply companies. The scope of services includes the removal of infected teeth, and relief from oral pain and infection. Recently, a full-time dentist has been added to serve the dental needs of children on Medicaid.

Dirne’s Web site provides some startling statistics.

A family member illness or injury or substantial medical bills were factors in 50 percent of all nonbusiness bankruptcies. For a family of four at 200 percent of poverty, or $36,000 per year, an average premium cost 25.5 percent of their annualized income. Of the 25,000 people in Kootenai County who are uninsured, 70 percent who use Dirne’s services are residents who run the service-based economy.

LaMott wants people to understand that Dirne is an efficiently run organization with professional, dedicated staff that continues to need the community’s financial and volunteer support.

“Community health centers are ranked among the most cost-effective programs for federal dollars spent and have been shown to save money through reduced hospitalizations,” she says.

“We would really like to be able to serve more underserved individuals, not only the uninsured but those where affordability is a barrier to accessing care.”