News & Events

Kaniksu is a Proud Park Rx Participant

ParkRx (Park Prescriptions) are programs designed in collaboration among public land agencies, healthcare providers, and community partners to encourage people to utilize parks, trails, and open space for the purpose of improving individual and community health.
PARKRX PROGRAMS IMPROVE HEALTH OUTCOMESParkRx programs give healthcare providers a new set of tools to inspire patients to take proactive steps to improve their health. Parks and public lands are free or low-cost resources in many communities and provide excellent areas to recreate and play. Additionally, parks provide patients with exposure to nature, which has been scientifically proven to improve mental, physical, and social health.
ParkRx programs happen throughout the country and are designed to:

Encourage overall behavior change
Improve individual and community health
Foster the growth of new stewards and advocates for public lands

PARKRX PROGRAMS IMPROVE PUBLIC LANDS Through ParkRx programs, the American public can increase their time spent visiting public lands and reaping the health benefits of nature. By encouraging people to visit their public lands, we are introducing and re-introducing many communities to the diversity and beauty of America's lands. In turn, we hope that tying nature to not only recreation, but also to human health, will encourage more people to become active stewards, guardians, and advocates for parks and public lands.
The National ParkRx Initiative is giving all ParkRx practitioners a place to build the ParkRx movement together.The National ParkRx Initiative is a movement to strengthen the connection between health care and parks and public lands to improve the physical and mental health among individuals and communities. The Initiative is a collaboration of national partners and subject-matter experts to advance the movement and create awareness among various audiences, including park and health professionals, to address the operational hurdles present in parks and health collaborations, and hone and measure the best delivery models currently in practice.
In 2012, an expert committee convened to understand the current landscape of ParkRx programs and move the national implementation of ParkRx forward. The National ParkRx Initiative was launched to develop national standards that increase the quality of new and existing programs, and assist programs in making positive health impacts. The Initiative continues to track the growing number of local, state, and national ParkRx programs and understand their successes and challenges in hopes to expand this model in communities across the country.
Currently, the National ParkRx Initiative is led by the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA), the Institute at the Golden Gate (IGG), and the National Park Service (NPS).
Ask your doctor how you can be a part of the Park Rx program.

Consumer Product Safety Commission

CPSC is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of injury or death associated with the use of the thousands of types of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. Deaths, injuries, and property damage from consumer product incidents cost the nation more than $1 trillion annually. CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical, or mechanical hazard. CPSC's work to ensure the safety of consumer products - such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters, and household chemicals - contributed to a decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 40 years.

Check out their website for the latest information on recalls and unsafe products, http://www.cpsc.gov/en/About-CPSC/

Is there really a fine for not having insurance?

December 30, 2015
The Affordable Care Act requires individuals to have a minimum level of health insurance, file for an exemption, or pay a fine (sometimes call a tax penalty). If you don’t have qualifying health coverage, you must claim a health coverage exemption or pay a fine with your federal tax return.

In 2015 the penalty was $325 for adults and $162.50 for children or 2 percent of family income, whichever was greater.
In 2016 the penalty increases to $695 for adults and $347.50 for children, or 2.5 percent of family income, whichever is greater.

Remember: Open enrollment ends January 31, 2016

**For help with your application for health coverage assistance, contact Wendi, our Certified Enrollment Counselor here at KHS.
Call 208-263-7101 x2013 or email her at wlies@kaniksuhealthservices.org

Kaniksu now a SUDS Approved Organization

December 22, 2015
As part of the statewide efforts working towards a drug free Idaho, KHS is now a state approved Substance Use Disorder Service (SUDS) approved treatment facility through the Department of Health and Welfare's Division of Behavioral Health. In conjunction with Business Psychology Associates (BPA), KHS recognizes that communities, schools and workplaces are at their best when individuals are free of the negative impacts of substance abuse. Idaho Department of Health and Welfare statistics show that 13% of Idaho high school seniors have experimented with at least one hard drug. The Division of Behavioral Health’s SUDS Program can provide assistance if you need help with a drug or alcohol problem. Interpreter services and language assistance are available for anyone, including those with limited English speaking ability, the deaf and hard of hearing, and the blind and visually impaired.
Call 1-800-922-3406 for a screening and referral to an approved treatment facility, such as Kaniksu. The amount you pay for services will depend on your financial situation. To qualify for assistance, you will be asked to provide financial eligibility information.

Kaniksu Selected to Participate in SHIP

Kaniksu Health Services is excited to announce it is one of the 54 Idaho clinics selected for participation in the Statewide Healthcare Innovation Plan (SHIP).

The goal of SHIP is to redesign Idaho’s healthcare system, evolving from a fee–for-service, volume-based system to a value-based system of care that rewards improved health outcomes.

Idaho’s plan identifies seven goals that together will transform Idaho’s healthcare system.

Goal 1: Transform primary care practices across the state into patient-centered medical homes (PCMHs)

Goal 2: Improve care coordination through the use of electronic health records (EHRs) and health data connections among PCMHs and across the medical neighborhood

Goal 3: Establish seven regional collaboratives to support the integration of each PCMH with the broader medical neighborhood

Goal 4: Improve rural patient access to PCMHs by developing virtual PCMHs

Goal 5: Build a statewide data analytics system

Goal 6: Align payment mechanisms across payers to transform payment methodology from volume to value

Goal 7: Reduce healthcare costs

For more information about SHIP, visit http://ship.idaho.gov/ or watch the video clip to the right.

Kaniksu Creates an Enchanted Forest for Kinderhaven's Festival of Trees

Kaniksu was excited to participate in the 2015 Kinderhaven Festival of Trees. Our theme this year was Enchanted Forest and our team really took this to heart. Working with local artist Diana Schuppel (who created the head), they turned the tree into a forest fairy whose red velvet cloak and array of forest elegant forest animals created quite a stir.