My work

"The Benewah Medical and Wellness Center (BMC/WC) is located in Benewah County in the Panhandle of Idaho on the Coeur d’Alene Indian Reservation. This county has the highest number of minorities of any county in the State of Idaho. Poverty, unemployment, and geographic isolation initially characterized the service area. Almost a third of our users are below 200% of t he Federal poverty guidelines. Clinic users are about 50% Indian and 50% non-Indian. Approximately 40% of our patients have no insurance. Benewah County also typically has the highest unemployment rate in Idaho, and over double the national unemployment rate. Eleven percent of BMC patients are 65 or older. There has been significant economic improvement to the service area in the last 5 years, although conditions continue to exist that warrant continued access for the underserved population. Many in the community continue to be underinsured or have no insurance at all. ..." (source: BMC) --- Kjell