New name, same mission
<p>Len Crosby, board chair for Legacy Health, speaks at a ceremony Monday unveiling of the new name and brand styling of the Coeur d'Alene health care company formerly known as Dirne Community Health Center.</p>
<p>Chris Meyer, with Parkwood Business Properties, the landlord for Legacy Health, checks out the company's new mobile health care vehicle.</p>
Legacy Health: It's the new name for Dirne Community Health, a longtime local asset whose goal of providing a medical home to at-risk populations has stood the test for 30 years.
The announcement was made Monday by Legacy CEO Mike Baker, who described the nation's medical climate as a "chaotic future headed our way."
Two years in coming, the name-change was approved and encouraged by Lidwin Dirne, Legacy's founder, who recently died at the age of 97.
Baker said that although Avenue 54 Advertising gave Legacy a significantly reduced rate on the new logo design, "Because we operate on a shoestring budget, the big question for us was always: 'Will the change be worth the expense?'
"We decided it would be," he said, "because there is still a large portion of the community we haven't been able to reach."
With the new logo and branding, Legacy hopes to attract increased numbers of insured patients to support the health costs of the uninsured, which currently make up 47 percent of Legacy's patient population.
Dr. Joseph Abate, Chief Medical Officer of Legacy, said, "Our mission is to offer a community solution to community health problem. The relationship between provider and patient is a sacred one."
Not to be overlooked on announcement day is the impressive new Legacy resource that just rolled into town. It's Idaho's first school-based health center. Funded by a federal grant, the 39-foot mobile clinic will service school children and rural communities within the Lakeland School District. The clinic will be staffed by a physician assistant and a medical assistant and has three examining rooms on board, along with a mobile X-ray machine. It will be a frequent sight at the district's extracurricular events.
Legacy will also be introducing several other additions to its health services menu. Baker announced that it will begin providing physical therapy services in mid-September; that a pediatric care team is being implemented and that an express-care service will offer patients same-day access to medical care.
"If you need an appointment," Baker said, "we will make sure you can be seen."
Construction will begin shortly on the Legacy dental clinic. With an increasing demand for dental services, Legacy is expanding its current facilities to support an additional patient load.
Stating that Legacy is "done" with supporting antiquated healthcare practices, Baker said, "We're going to do healthcare differently now. We care more about our patients than the insurance they have. We know what needs to be done and we're doing it."