4 Health Kootenai Health 2003 Kootenai Health Way Coeur d’Alene, Idaho 83814 KH.org (208) 625-4000 Kootenai Hospital District Board of Trustees Katie Brodie, Chair Robert Colvin, Vice Chair Dave Bobbitt, Secretary and Treasurer Cindy Clark, Trustee Thomas deTar, M.D., Trustee Liz Godbehere, Trustee Steve Matheson, Trustee Robert McFarland, M.D., Trustee Chris Nordstrom, Trustee Administration Jon Ness, Chief Executive Officer Michelle Bouit, Chief Financial Officer Karen Cabell, D.O., Chief Physician Executive Cyndy Donato, Executive Vice President, People and Culture Kelly Espinoza, Chief Nursing Officer Jeremy Evans, Chief Operating Officer Joel Hazel, Chief Legal Counsel Cara Nielsen, Kootenai Health Foundation President Ryan Smith, Chief Information Officer John Weinsheim, Executive Vice President of Kootenai Clinic Executive Regional Editor Kim Anderson Regional Editor Shannon Carroll Cover photo Katrina Walker Published as a courtesy of Kootenai Health four times a year. Models may be used in photos and illustrations. If you have any concerns or questions about specific content that may affect your health, please contact your health care provider. Kootenai Health complies with applicable federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex. Translation assistance services, free of charge, are available to you. Please call (877) 746-4674. Si habla español, tiene a su disposición servicios gratuitos de asistencia lingüística. Llame al (877) 746-4674. Ako govorite srpsko-hrvatski, usluge jezicke pomoci dostupne su vam besplatno. Nazovite (877) 746-4674. 2023 © Coffey Communications, Inc. All rights reserved. Community Is at the Heart of Who We Are This fall the Kootenai Health Foundation held a reception for many of its long-term donors. To kick off the evening, Cara Nielsen, the Kootenai Health Foundation president, encouraged the more than 100 guests to be part of an interactive exercise. Guests were invited to use their cellphones to text in one word that came to mind when thinking of Kootenai Health. Their words appeared on a screen, creating a “word cloud.” The more frequently a word was mentioned, the larger it appeared on the screen. I was pleased to see how often the word “community” was mentioned. One definition of community describes it as “a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests and goals.” Surely one of the most important attributes of exceptional care is having a health care team that shares your interests and goals for your personal health. Higher levels of care Over the past 10-plus years, the community Kootenai Health serves has been expanding. We are now the regional referral center for higher levels of care for all of northern Idaho. Patients throughout the region regularly come to us seeking care for cardiology, oncology, neurology, complex surgeries and more. Recently, our work to expand the Kootenai Health Heart Center has helped ensure we have the capacity to continue providing that care. In the past year, the Heart Center served more than 3,200 patients, and all indications are that the need is only increasing. As we finalize the expansion, this year’s Festival of Trees will provide an opportunity for our community’s generous donors to join us and identify additional opportunities to help even more patients in need. Kootenai Health began in the 1960s as a community hospital. Although our community has grown, that feeling of community and all it means is still at the heart of who we are. Whether we are hiring more physicians, adding new specialties or working to ensure every cardiac patient can receive safe, timely care, we are here for you. Wishing you good health, Jon Ness
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