we all need a little help sometimes
At Kaniksu Community Health, our Patient Assistance team is dedicated to removing barriers so every person can access the care they deserve. From navigating insurance and enrollment to connecting patients with financial support, community resources, and personalized guidance, we walk alongside you at every step. Our goal is simple: to make healthcare easier, clearer, and more accessible — ensuring you feel supported, informed, and empowered on your health journey.
Patient Assistance Specialists Are Here to Help You Access Resources
Our Patient Assistance Specialists act as a connection between you and the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, Medicare, Your Health Idaho and other community resources, to ensure you have access to all the available resources you may need.
Types of Assistance
- Insurance Enrollment & State Assistance
- Medicare – Health insurance for those 65 or older, under 65 with certain disabilities, and people of any age with End- Stage Renal Disease (ESRD).
- KCH is part of the Medicare Shared Savings Program Accountable Care Organizations. For more information about your rights as a beneficiary, visit our Patient Rights and Responsibilities page.
- Your Health Idaho – Idaho’s insurance marketplace where Idahoans find the right coverage for their needs. The only place to save on monthly premiums with a tax credit.
- Private Insurance Tax Credit – Health insurance tax credits created by the Affordable Care Act and paid to insurers to help eligible Idahoans with monthly insurance premiums.
- Medicaid – Provides health coverage for children and adults who meet certain eligibility criteria.
- Individuals with Disabilities Healthcare coverage for elderly individuals and individuals with intellectual, development and physical disabilities.
- The Children’s Developmental Disabilities Program Provides a system of care that has an array of home and community based services including intervention and support services.
- Katie Beckett Program For children living at home with long-term disabilities or complex medical needs, who may be eligible for Medicaid services even if their family income is above federal poverty guidelines.
- Financial Assistance
- Temporary Assistance for Families (TAFI) Provides cash assistance for individuals who are 65 or older, blind, or disabled.
- Aid to the Aged, Blind, and Disabled (AABD) cash assistance Provides temporary cash benefits for eligible low-income families and households to help pay for food, clothing, shelter, and other essentials.
- Home and Utility Assistance
- Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) Helps low-income individuals and families conserve energy, save money and increase the comfort of their homes by making their home more cost effective and energy efficient.
- Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Helps Idaho families pay utility bills and weatherize their homes, and provides energy conservation education.
- Idaho Telephone Service Assistance Program (ITSAP) Helps eligible low-income families pay for basic telephone service installation costs or monthly costs for basic residential phone service.
- Child Care Assistance – The Idaho Child Care Program (ICCP) Serves families with children under the age of 13 (or over 13 if a child has a disability), providing child care assistance to working families by paying for a portion of child care.
- Food Assistance
- The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Helps low-income families buy the food they need in order to stay healthy.
- WIC Program A federally funded nutrition program for Women, Infants and Children.
- Community Resources
- School lunch program, summer meal program, statewide food program, and emergency food assistance programs.
- Medicare – Health insurance for those 65 or older, under 65 with certain disabilities, and people of any age with End- Stage Renal Disease (ESRD).
Community Resources
No matter what your circumstances, our Patient Assistance Specialists are eager to help you discover options and available resources for your need(s). Community resources are the businesses, public service institutions and charitable organizations that provide assistance and services to local residents. Get help finding food, transportation, paying your bills, finding firewood, and so much more.
Medication Assistance
Kaniksu also contracts with various pharmaceutical companies to provide free medications to eligible patients. To find out if you are eligible for free or discounted medications, make an appointment with our Patient Assistance Specialist.
Program Specifications: The provider prescribing the medication must be employed by KCH. Only certain medications whose manufacturers offer patient assistance programs can be provided free of charge to you. Eligibility for discounts is based upon your income and assets. You may not be eligible to use the program if you are eligible for insurance reimbursement, Medicaid, or other support programs for your medication. Eligibility varies from company to company. Acceptance into the Medication Assistance Program does not guarantee eligibility for all medications.
transportation assistance
We understand that transportation can sometimes be a barrier to care. If getting to your appointment is a challenge due to transportation, Kaniksu Community Health may be able to help.
- Ask our Patient Assistance Specialists about transportation assistance options by calling (208) 263-7101
- Eligibility and availability may vary.
- Your health matters, and we want to make sure you can access the care you need.
This project is supported by a Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) grant, allowing us to test and improve the ways we meet our community’s transportation needs. We want to thank Angels Over Sandpoint and the Community Assistance League for their generous support by providing these grants.
KCH Diaper Bank
Every baby deserves clean diapers.
In our community, many families struggle to afford a basic essential: diapers. It can cost around $100 per month to diaper just one baby, and research shows that 1 in 3 families don’t have enough diapers to keep their children clean and healthy. Lack of clean diapers isn’t just uncomfortable — it’s a real health risk. That’s why KCH is committed to ensuring that no family goes without.
A community effort.
Thanks to the generous support of local businesses — including Safeway, Super 1 Foods, the Selkirk Association of Realtors, Les Schwab, Idaho Forest Group, and 3 Mile Corner — we’re making a difference, together. Their contributions of funds and supplies show how much our community believes in the power of this project.
How you can help.
Want to be part of the excitement? You can support local families in two ways:
- Donate diapers and wipes. Drop off unopened packages at any KCH clinic during regular business hours.
- Sponsor the Diaper Bank. Sponsorships are recognized at the Diaper Bank, on our website, and across our social media channels.
For questions or to learn more, please contact one of our Patient Assistance Specialists. Together, we can ensure every baby in our community stays healthy, dry, and safe.
KCH Diaper Bank Pick-Up Locations
Families in need are welcome to stop by the diaper bank to pick up FREE diapers and wipes for their child.
The Diaper Bank is open during regular clinic hours
Monday – Thursday; 7:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Friday; 7:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Sandpoint | 810 6th Ave
Priest River | 6509 US-2 #101
Bonners Ferry | 6615 Comanche St
Reach out and Read
Reading is doctor recommended.
Through the Reach Out and Read program, KCH gives young children a strong start by incorporating books into pediatric care and encouraging families to read aloud together.
Closing the Achievement Gap Early.
A third of young children — and half of those living in poverty — arrive at kindergarten without the skills they need to succeed. Children who start school behind in reading are much more likely to struggle academically and are at a greater risk of dropping out later in life.
The Opportunity of a Lifetime.
The first few years of life are critical. More than 95% of a child’s brain develops during this period, and early experiences shape how the brain grows — with lifelong impacts.
Seizing the Moment.
Our Reach Out and Read-trained providers have a unique opportunity to reach families during these critical early years. More than 91% of children under six attend at least one routine pediatric visit each year, giving us a powerful platform to promote early literacy.
At every well-child visit from infancy through age five, we:
- Talk with parents about the importance of reading aloud
- Show families how to engage with books and tell stories with their children
- Encourage parents to build daily reading routines
- Give each child a brand-new book to take home and keep
By the end of the program, each child has a growing home library — and each parent has been empowered to be their child’s first and most important teacher.
A proven, cost-effective model.
Reach Out and Read is built directly into pediatric care and endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics as “an essential component of pediatric primary care.” It’s also remarkably cost-effective: for just $20, one child can be supported with the program for an entire year.
Program Specifications: The provider prescribing the medication must be employed by KCH. Only certain medications whose manufacturers offer patient assistance programs can be provided free of charge to you. Eligibility for discounts is based upon your income and assets. You may not be eligible to use the program if you are eligible for insurance reimbursement, Medicaid, or other support programs for your medication. Eligibility varies from company to company. Acceptance into the Medication Assistance Program does not guarantee eligibility for all medications.
