Health center raises awareness of coverage options

SUPERIOR – The outreach staff of Mineral Regional Health Center held a health fair Saturday, February 1, to encourage the community to seek out health coverage.

The event was set up when Planned Parenthood Navigator Alla Kirilovich contacted Krisit Scott, enrollment specialist at MRHC, about coordinating an event to spread information about health care options. Scott and Kirilovich wanted to bring in as many groups as they could.

“It was just a good opportunity to strengthen our relationship with these various organizations as well as the hospital,” said Scott.

Kirilovich came to Superior for the day from Missoula. The Missoula branch of Planned Parenthood of Montana also covers Mineral County. She felt the event was a great way to get the information out to the community and help spread knowledge of what services were available.

“Even if one person comes, the next time you have [the event], that one person can tell their friends and [they] will tell their friends,” said Kirilovich. “So it’s sharing the impact that these events have too.”

The Department of Health, as well as other organizations, had tables set up with information about the various services they offer. Their pamphlets included information on family health needs, child care and dental care as well as various services for seniors.

“Our goal is to make sure that everyone in the home has the maximum amount of coverage that is available to them, so that they’re not overlooking preventative care,” said Scott.

MRHC did not want people to put aside certain care needs because a patient did not have a coverage plan. She also wanted to give people an easy opportunity to get information about what coverage was available through the health center.

“A lot of people don’t know what is available or what they may qualify for,” said Scott. “So this is a good opportunity to get our resources together.”

While traffic was fairly low, it was not a surprise to Scott. When a large amount of snow began to fall, she realized many people may stay at home. However, she felt even one person coming by meant the day was a success.

Scott said the key was in repetition. If the events continue, word of mouth will spread as people share their experiences.

“It doesn’t cost a lot to put [these events] on, so I’m going to continue to do them,” said Scott. “The residual effect of these will be good too.”

Scott would like to hold these events once a month. While they will not all be as big as Saturday’s event, they would still spread word of the center’s services.

It was emphasized how the health center does not turn people away. If someone does not have a health coverage plan they can still get treatment from MRHC. This is done by a sliding scale payment system where the cost of various services is determined by the person’s income.

A free lunch of chilidogs and salad was provided for the event with juice and other snack items to accompany it.

Scott and Kirilovich felt this was a good way to show the community how much MRHC appreciates them.