Helpers deliver for Dirne

COEUR d'ALENE - When Richard Kimbrell heard Dirne Community Health Center needed some strong hands Saturday moving hundreds of items weighing thousands of pounds, he said sure.

"If we don't pitch in and people don't help each other, we don't go anywhere," the Post Falls man said.

"You give, you will receive," he added.

"You don't get anywhere without the community," added Adam Moser.

The two were among about 60 volunteers who pitched in Saturday morning to move the community health clinic and its counseling services into its new home at 1090 W. Park Place Drive.

Church groups, civic organizations, businesses and citizens teamed up to fill U-Haul trucks and more with furniture, supplies and equipment.

They hauled exam tables weighing 300 pounds, chairs, desks, cabinets, computers, medical records and refrigerators.

"You name it, it's been moved," Kimbrell said, laughing.

It wasn't easy, said Dirne Development Director Alan Brockway, but spirits were high and bodies were able and willing.

"This is our chance to really engage the community, and let the community come down and get involved in the moving of their medical home," he said.

In October, Dirne officials announced a deal with Parkwood Properties to lease the former 18,000-square-foot Group Health building.

The new address will put Dirne's Health Center, formerly at 1106 W. Ironwood, and the Behavioral Health department, at 1800 Lincoln Way suite 202, under one roof.

Dirne provides a medical home for about 12,000 low-income residents, with demand for its services rising 50 percent in the past two years.

Its new home, set to open today, will have 19 exam rooms, which will improve patient flow, and provide ample lobby space. Artwork by Steven Scroggins will decorate the lobby, hallways and rooms.

"What we're seeing here, this facility reflects the quality the providers have always given," Brockway said.

Dirne Dental will remain at 1800 Lincoln Way, where three full-time dentists provide more than 6,000 patient visits annually. But plans ultimately call for combining all three services.

Jesse Lenz of Post Falls was happy to pitch in for Saturday's major move - even after rising in the early morning hours to complete his Press route. He handled a dolly to transport a massive filing cabinet to the downstairs storage area.

"Community service is part of the culture I grew up in," he said.

Another volunteer, Fred Haukaas, waiting for the next delivery of equipment and furniture, said Dirne deserves assistance.

"I like to help out when I can, and it's a worthy cause, too," he said. "These guys do a lot for the community."