Dirne Health Centers

Dirne Health Centers mission is to provide access to quality, comprehensive, integrated and preventative health care to the underserved of our community with compassion and through collaboration and innovation.

Dirne Health Centers is committed to Quality of services, Teamwork of the provision of services, and Integration of services with other health care partners in the community in which we live.

Description:
Dirne Health Centers is a 501 (c) 3, non-profit, federally qualified community health center serving Kootenai County. Dirne provides services from four sites in Coeur d’Alene, offering medical, dental, and mental healthcare to the community, with an emphasis on providing access to healthcare to the underserved. By offering a sliding fee scale, payment plan options, and not denying services to anyone due to inability to pay, Dirne Health Centers provides quality, cost-effective care to those have become disenfranchised in the medical system. Dirne Health Centers is the only community health center in Kootenai County and is often the only access point for healthcare for the 25,000 individuals in Kootenai County that lack any type of health insurance.

History:
As it was originally named, ‘Dirne Community Health Clinic’ was largely conceived through the pioneering efforts of one individual, Lidwina Dirne. Upon personally witnessing the devastating impact that inaccessibility to healthcare had on a single mother with disabilities who could not afford basic medical care for herself or her family, Lidwina mobilized a community-based effort to find solutions. The result was the start-up of a volunteer run, free-clinic that received total community backing, and operated two evenings per-week. For fifteen years the clinic was supported by local donations, in-kind contributions, pro-bono legal services, and staffed by volunteer primary care providers. As the demand for services increased and exceeded the capacity of a part-time volunteer clinic, the need for expansion and growth of services and sites became a necessity.

In 2003, Dirne Health Centers received federal funding from the Health and Resources Services Administration (HRSA) to become a federally qualified health center (FQHC). By February of 2004, the clinic opened its doors as a full-time community health center. During its first year, Dirne Health Centers provided services to 3,806 individuals. This number has continued to steadily increase each year, with 6,470 individuals served in 2007. Additional services have been continually added since its inception. In June, 2007, Dirne Health Centers was awarded a Healthcare for the Homeless expanded medical capacity grant to serve the homeless population in Kootenai County, further broadening the reach of its services and increasing access to healthcare.

Contact people:

Amanda Miller, Director, Community Outreach, (phone), (email) Laurie Whitcomb, Administrative Assistant, (phone), (email) Kaitlin Morrison, Chief Volunteer Officer, (phone), (email)

Office fax number: (208) 292-0747

Address:

1106 W Ironwood Drive Coeur D'Alene, ID 83814 (See a map)

Web Site: http://www.dirnechc.org

Directions:

From Northwest Blvd, turn onto Ironwood Drive. Dirne is located on the left hand side of Ironwood after the Department of Labor and the Deptartment of Health and Welfare (both buildings). From 95, turn onto Ironwood (the west. . . (more)   Nearest Bus Stop: KMC Bus Stop, .3 minute walk

Last updated on July 20, 2009