Community health clinic a godsend for folks

Monica Short sits in a wheelchair in a hallway of the former Canyon Elementary School.

She had a bad fall a few weeks ago and has stress fracture in her back. She’s waiting to see Dr. John Tremper, one of the physicians who work at the clinic at the Hungry Horse Community Health Center, a satellite office of the Flathead Community Health Center in Kalispell.

Short lives in Martin City. Having health care close to home is a godsend, she said.

“It’s much easier to come down here, since I can’t walk yet,” she said. “We don’t have a good vehicle ... When you have to find a ride, it’s even hard to get here sometimes.”

Like Short, Annalee McGlothlin also appreciates the clinic. She drives in from Columbia Falls. She has a multitude of health problems. Diabetes. Bad lungs and heart.

“I love it compared to driving to Kalispell,” she said. “I love Dr. Tremper. He’s a good doctor.”

Tremper enjoys working with patients from the north valley and Canyon. He’s been working here since it opened 2 1/2 years ago.

“It’s a game changer to the community,” he said. “Our goal is to reduce barriers to care.”

Depending on their insurance and ability to pay, a patient pays as little as $15 a visit. Some also bring gifts. A jar of honey. A dozen eggs. That sort of thing.

Tremper notes there’s a lot of homelessness in the Canyon, people living in cars. He sees it all — tuberculosis, HIV, diabetes, heart disease. There’s also a lot of depression in patients. A counselor, Yvonne Olson sees dozens of folks a week, particularly in the winter months.

Tremper works at the clinic on Thursdays, mostly by appointment, but they do see walk-ins as well.

On Monday afternoons, Dr. Nicole Russell sees patients. The clinic will add a hygienist and dentist beginning in October.

The goal is goal is to provide everyone with easy access to care, no matter who they are, where they are from, or if they have insurance.

“We want to prevent them from going to the emergency room,” Tremper noted.

It’s also fun. The patients seem genuinely happy to be there — as happy as one can be in a doctor’s office. The atmosphere is warm and inviting. People know each other.

“I have a huge passion for taking care of the disadvantaged,” Tremper said. “The people here are awesome. They’re so glad we’re here.”

School District 6 has also been instrumental in making the clinic work, providing it with a well-maintained space, Tremper noted.

The hope is to eventually provide care three days week. Right now, Tremper sees about 20 patients in a day, sometimes more.

The clinic is also a training ground for resident doctors, which is helpful.

“We see so much weird stuff,” Tremper noted.

In Montana, Community Health Centers provide services to one out of every 10 individuals.

They’re primarily funded through a federal grant through the Health Resources Service Administration, and when a patient has insurance of their own.

As an employer and healthcare provider, the clinics in Hungry Horse and Kalispell supports 56 jobs and impacts the local economy by over $9.3 million a year, notes executive director Jodi White.

People who would like to make an appointment can call 752-8113 for health services. Dental appointments should call 751-8221. They can also book online at flatheadhealth.org and then follow the links.