Committed to quality, affordable, and accessible care
By Taylor Shillam
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.
Q. Please share a bit about the services provided by Kanisku Community Health.
A. Kaniksu Community Health (KCH) is committed to providing quality, affordable and accessible care for the communities it serves by providing integrated health services encompassing pediatrics, family medicine, dental, behavioral health, women’s health, and much more, delivered by patient-focused providers who work to break down barriers to care. Ranked in the top 1% of community health centers in the nation, and with locations in Sandpoint, Bonners Ferry, and Priest River, KCH continues to make a meaningful difference in lives across the community.
Regardless of how you pay, or the complexity of your condition, we will help you find solutions. We serve everyone in Bonner and Boundary counties, whether you are covered by Medicare or Medicaid, have private insurance, are a self-pay patient, or you’re one of our country’s veterans. If there are any concerns about how you can pay for services, talk to us. We’re here to help.
The healthcare landscape is a tough one to navigate, and a big part of what we do is untangle that mess to make it accessible, affordable, and achievable.
Q. Please share the history behind Kaniksu Community Health. How did it come to be, and how has it grown in recent years?
A. In 2002, a big dream was brought to life: to deliver quality healthcare to every person in North Idaho, regardless of their circumstances. Over the past 19 years, our commitment to this idea has inspired us to expand our services to include dental, behavioral health, and pediatric care across multiple clinic locations.
We’ve extended our hours to better meet our patients’ needs, partnered with local school districts to offer behavioral health services to kids in need, and added patient assistance and an in-house pharmacy to make sure there were no barriers to patient care. We have continued to invest in wellness, collaboration, and compassion by delivering the highest level of care by extraordinary staff through excellent patient experiences.
Q. What do you want the community to know about integrated health? Why is it so important to offer to our community?
A. Integrated healthcare delivers comprehensive long-term care designed to meet patients’ multidimensional needs. Integrated care models are made up of coordinated care from a team of healthcare professionals – including family medicine, pediatric, behavioral, and dental healthcare providers. Rather than keeping these services separate, KCH providers work together to address healthcare needs, addressing each issue holistically and looking at long-term care solutions that can positively impact your health and overall quality of life.
Q. Please describe the pediatric services. How does it contribute to Kaniksu’s ability to serve the community?
A. There is nothing more important than the health and well-being of our children. KCH’s board-certified pediatricians provide specialized, quality, and compassionate care and coordinate multiple aspects of each child’s well-being, ensuring they receive comprehensive care in one place. In addition to caring for your children when they become sick, KCH is also dedicated to keeping them healthy, active, and out of the hospital. We recognize the importance of good health for a growing child, and our pediatric care team works with each child to ensure they can live a healthy, active life.
Building a relationship with your child’s entire care team, from the pediatric provider to the nursing staff and the friendly faces that greet you when you arrive, will make your child’s experience more pleasant. Your child’s pediatrician should be where you start for questions about your child’s health – their job is to keep your child as healthy as possible, so your kids can reach their full potential!
Q. What is most rewarding to you about the work you do at Kaniksu Community Health? What are some of the biggest ways you’ve seen the community impacted by Kaniksu?
A. “There is great satisfaction in working with such an amazing group of people,” states Tammy Undiemi, pediatrician and Chief Nursing Officer at KCH. “We are all passionate about making a difference in the lives of our pediatric population and their families, and adding positive value in our communities.
At KCH, we prioritize delivering quality care to each and every patient. To ensure we stay at the top of our game, we have implemented systems that monitor and improve our delivery of care year after year. For example, over a period of four years, we decreased our number of patients with uncontrolled diabetes from 36% to 14%. In 2024, we once again achieved the National Quality Leader awards for diabetes and hypertension.
Q. What is your vision for Kaniksu Community Health moving forward?
A. Our goal is to strengthen relationships with community partners and patients, allowing us to make a lasting, meaningful impact on the communities we serve.
Q. What do you enjoy most about being a part of the local community?
A. “There is a sense of purpose to what we do,” stated CEO Kevin Knepper, “in knowing that we are positively contributing to making the lives of our neighbors healthier, one patient at a time.”
Kaniksu Community Health
Bonners Ferry
208.267.1718
Sandpoint
208.263.7101
Priest River
208.448.2321
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