PHD offers extensive network of services
(Photo by SUSAN DRINKARD) Mary Fiedler, nurse practitioner at the Panhandle Health District, says the healthcare offered through PHD is now more comprehensive and that same-day appointments are often available. She poses with Kristina Meyer, director of nurses for the five northern county offices.
Septic permits and infant nutrition for low-income mothers may come to mind when one thinks of the Panhandle Health District on Pine Street.
But clinical healthcare services offered by PHD are much more extensive. “It’s not just about STIs and birth control any longer,” said Mary Fiedler, nurse practitioner, and until now, this may be one of Sandpoint’s best-kept secrets.
Nurse practitioners are available to see patients — not necessarily low-income patients — for cervical, skin, colorectal, and breast cancer screenings, upper respiratory/flu symptoms, drug abuse, ear infections, thyroid issues, high blood pressure, immunizations, diabetes prevention, family planning, and testing for HIV, according to Fiedler, “and we often have same-day appointments,” she added.
“We spend a lot of time educating patients. We focus on prevention and education, teaching people about potential side effects” of particular drugs, Fiedler said.
“If you’re not moving, eating well, or sleeping, we can help,” Fiedler said, “whether you have insurance or not.”
If you are sick, and it’s not an emergency, PHD is open from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at its office, 2101 W. Pine, across from Travers Park.
Kristina Meyer, nurse manager for all five clinics in North Idaho, said the nurse practitioners work to “meet people where they are, without judgment,” she said, “and Mary does an excellent job doing that.”
As a woman’s healthcare provider, Fiedler said the health district “has streamlined the process for procedures, so waiting ages for test results may be a thing of the past; often results return within 24 hours; this new process has been very successful,” she said.
Services are on a sliding scale, and if need be, biopsies are free for those who meet the income guidelines. The services are not just for uninsured or low-income individuals. “If you have a high deductible, you may qualify for free breast and cervical cancer-screening procedures,” Fiedler said. PHD bills all insurance providers.
All Medicaid patients are covered, and if you are looking for a new women’s healthcare provider, Fiedler is available to see women on an ongoing basis—not just those of child-bearing age, but also women who need assistance with menopausal management.
Fiedler began her career as a public health nurse at PHD in 1994 and studied to become a nurse practitioner with a subspecialty in women’s health from Harbor-UCLA. A Master’s in Nursing followed from California State University. After three years as clinical services director for 10 health clinics in Spokane, she returned to PHD as an NP in 2005. She is certified in colposcopy, a thorough female exam.
On the PHD’s monthly disease bulletin, citizens may find out what its team of epidemiologists have found reflecting the current health status of a community. For example, the latest report, November 2019, shows pertussis was considered an ongoing outbreak in Bonner County. Gonorrhea cases are in double digits with the highest incidence of all--chlamydia. STIs is one reason Fiedler and Karianne Yarnell, public health nurse, speak to eighth and ninth grade students in Sandpoint. “They need to know the possible consequences” of sexual activity, besides pregnancy, and we address what to expect in an exam, she said.
Fiedler said there are three health issues that presently plague the Sandpoint community and its environs: suicide, drug abuse, and sexually transmitted diseases.
“We are involved in a lot of opioid prevention,” said Fiedler. Opioids are a class of drugs that are prescribed for acute pain, post-surgery, during cancer care, and for chronic pain, according to the district’s website, and illicit opioid use has increased. Opioids can have serious side effects: depression, constipation, dry mouth, nausea, vomiting, physical dependence, tolerance, and addiction.
North Idaho communities are working together to combat this problem by utilizing programs and suggestions made by communities in the U.S. that have had successful results.
Naloxone is a medicine that can reverse an opioid overdose. In Idaho, according to the website, a person who administers Naloxone to someone who appears to have overdosed, is legally protected by Idaho’s Good Samaritan Law. The medication can be obtained from a physician, nurse practitioner, pharmacist, or physician’s assistant to “anyone with a valid reason.”
Meyer and Fiedler both do a lot of client-centered counseling. Every 22 hours, someone commits suicide in Idaho; suicide is the second-leading cause of death for ages 15-44 in Idaho, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Montana and Idaho are ranked in the top five states for highest number of suicides, with Montana ranking as first in the nation, according to WorldAtlas.com.
PHD works with the Suicide Prevention Action Network, Region 1 Behavioral Health Board and other community partners to help with prevention. For help with someone you know who is struggling, call the Idaho Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255 or the North Idaho Crisis Service at 208-946-5595.
If you are traveling and need immunizations, Meyer said, “We help people navigate through the Center for Disease Control” to determine what immunizations are necessary, and the local office is able to administer these vaccinations in most cases.
Some 1,500 Idahoans die from tobacco use each year. A smoking cessation program (includes vaping, and using dip) is offered through the health district. Program Manager Linda Harder is a compassionate and very helpful cessation advisor, agreed Fiedler and Meyer. She will help with battling withdrawal symptoms, different quitting techniques, and strategies for coping with cravings. Free nicotine replacements are available through the program. To find out more about the cessation program, call (208) 415-5143 or email lharder@phd1.idaho.gov
Fiedler works at the Bonners Ferry office on Wednesdays, across from the Bonners Ferry hospital.
For more information about any of the programs offered at the health district, call 208-263-5159 in Sandpoint, or 208-267-5558 in Bonners Ferry.
Susan Drinkard can be reached at susanadiana@icloud.com.