Kootenai | Kootenai Health | Issue 1, 2022

Pictured from left, Olivia Kastello, M.D., and Matt Willhite A Lifetime of Care Kootenai Clinic Family Medicine Residency doctors see you through it all Anna Chase, M.D. Rebecca Siemers, M.D. By Devin Weeks A simple phone call or online visit is all it takes to establish your child as a patient with Kootenai Clinic Family Medicine Residency. That call is the first step to building lifelong relationships with family medicine doctors. “We start from birth,” Family Medicine Residency faculty member Anna Chase, M.D., said. “We have a lot of avenues through which children become our patients. Our residents meet families wherever they’re at.” Family medicine physicians have a great breadth of medical knowledge to care for patients of all ages. “Caring for a whole family has benefits: seeing a mom and her 2-week-old infant at the same time, seeing multiple family members for a cough or being able to vaccinate parents for the flu at the same time as their child,” Kootenai Clinic Family Medicine faculty member Rebecca Siemers, M.D., explained. Thewholepicture Family medicine focuses on nutrition, physical activity, injury prevention and more to improve a child’s health. Dental health is also important, and Kootenai Clinic Family Medicine Residency has a fluoride program to decrease cavities. “Reading and literacy are also very important,” Dr. Siemers said. “We are part of the Reach Out and Read program that focuses on the importance of early childhood literacy by providing books for children.” Through the COVID-19 pandemic, the residency program has been creative in making sure patients don’t fall behind on needed care. This includes offering telehealth appointments and a drive-through flu shot station. The start to lifelonghealth Family medicine providers witness their patients grow and develop as they care for them through the years. This benefits everyone. “We adapt our clinic protocols as needed,” Dr. Chase said. “It’s incredibly fulfilling to deliver patients and then see them later and tell them, ‘I delivered you!’” Many Kootenai Health Family Medicine Residency graduates choose to practice in rural areas to care for multiple generations. “The program graduates competent and compassionate physicians. Many choose to stay in northern Idaho,” Dr. Siemers said. “This allows families across the region to access excellent and comprehensive medical care for the entire family, from rural areas to larger cities.” Need a checkup? Make an appointment at Kootenai Clinic Family Medicine Residency or one of the several Family Medicine locations in Coeur d’Alene, Hayden and Post Falls. Visit KH.org/family-medicine . KH . ORG 17