North Idaho Briefs September 25, 2012

Another burglary reported in Coeur d'Alene

COEUR d'ALENE - Antique watches and old coins valued at $3,000 were reported stolen during a home break-in on Friday.

According to a Coeur d'Alene police report, the victim said someone broken into his Wilbur Avenue home between 1 and 4:30 p.m.

Police said someone gained access to the home by forcing open the main door to the garage.

The homeowner said the suspects were "methodical" in the way they went through the house, taking only certain items.

Burglars were neat in their work. The police report said the home did "not appear to have any overt signs of being 'tossed' or 'ransacked.'

Three collectible pocket watches valued at $2,700, and coins, including silver and half dollars, valued at $300, were missing.

A neighbor reported seeing a suspicious, older min-van in the area Friday afternoon. The driver "who was intently looking at houses on both sides of the street."

Punkin Chunkin seeking volunteers

Elderhelp of North Idaho is looking for a few good volunteers for its "Punkin Chunkin" fundraiser scheduled Nov. 3 at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds.

Folks are needed to help with organization, sponsorship, competition and provide entertainment.

Teams will construct their own catapult and compete to see who can shoot a pumpkin the farthest.

Elderhelp could also use plenty of pumpkins and tarps for what is sure to be a messy way to raise money.

Info: Jerry Boggs, [email protected] or b818-9083.

Assistants, nurses boost primary care

BOISE (AP) - Idaho is at the bottom of national rankings for doctors per capita, and many physicians in the state are expected to retire in the next several years.

But the Idaho Statesman reports that physician assistants and nurse practitioners are helping to fill the gap. Data from the Kaiser Family Foundation shows that while Idaho ranks last in the United States for primary care doctors per person, it's tied for 14th for physician assistants and 45th for nurse practitioners.

"I don't think we have our primary care needs met" in Idaho, but "I definitely think they're filling an important role as part of the health care team," said Patrice Burgess, a family doctor for Saint Alphonsus Health System.

Burgess' clinic in Boise is one of the pilot sites for a model of patient care that stresses the team approach. Her office has four doctors each working with teams of four or five people, including a physician assistant, nurses and other non-physician employees, and each team sees about 20 patients a day.

As demand for physician assistants and nurse practitioners has risen, so has enrollment in the studies necessary for both professions at Idaho State University. ISU's physician assistant program started in 1995 with 20 students at the Pocatello campus, and it has grown to 60 students, with a satellite campus in Boise. The program received 500 applications last year.

ISU's distance-learning program for family nurse practitioners started in the early 1990s with 10 students. That program has quadrupled, said associate professor Cathy Arvidson.

The physician assistants program has graduated more than 500 people so far, and most have found jobs in Idaho, said program director Paula Phelps.

In some Idaho clinics, like the ones operated by nonprofit organization Terry Reilly, physician assistants and nurse practitioners outnumber physicians.

"They're critical," said Bethany Gadzinski, Terry Reilly's homeless services and medical operations program manager. The assistants and nurse practitioners have allowed the clinics to meet primary-care needs for rural communities like Homedale, Melba and Marsing, Gadzinski said.

Nurse practitioners can prescribe drugs and see patients without a doctor's supervision. Physician assistants can work independently but must be supervised by a licensed physician. In Idaho, doctors can supervise up to three physician assistants at the same time or up to six with a waiver from the state Board of Medicine.

Phelps, with ISU, said some advocates believe that loosening those caps would give patients more access to care.