COEUR d'ALENE - In the midst of economic pressures, Dirne Community Health Center still has a victory to boast.

The center will soon be operating its first mobile health care clinic to provide care for homeless individuals.

"This is for the group of folks who don't want or can't make it to be seen by a physician," said Alan Brockway, Dirne development director. "To bring health care to the door of the homeless is difficult, because they don't necessarily have a door. The Dirne mobile center will be fixing that."

The health center has been treating homeless folks in the field for the past year, Brockway said, through the efforts of Ryan Smith, a physicians assistant with Dirne.

It hasn't been easy.

Smith troops out to homeless encampments on foot, lugging a five-gallon bucket holding his supplies.

"The exams are done in the encampments, perhaps around a fire as the snow begins to fall," Brockway said.

Smith also conducts exams in a closet at Fresh Start's drop-in center, Brockway added, or at the St. Vincent de Paul HELP center.

But now that Dirne has procured an RV, which is being fitted with health care equipment, Smith and other providers will be able to offer homeless folks care in a safe, private environment.

"These people really want to feel like they have access (to health care)," Brockway said.

The RV will likely park near homeless encampments and at health fairs, he said, adding that Dirne is still planning all the locations it will be used.

Services out of the clinic will include general practice care like exams, blood tests and physicals, he said.

Panhandle Health District will also provide staff in the vehicle for TB testing, said PHD spokeswoman Cynthia Taggart.

"We've worked closely with (Dirne) over the years, and we really support what they do," she said.

There are discussions of offering dental care for home-bound seniors, too.

Bringing health care to homeless individuals is much needed approach, said Jeff Conroy, executive director of St. Vincent de Paul.

"You'll have people who won't even come out of their campsites," he said.

And he sees a large number of homeless with health problems, he added.

"We're inundated," Conroy said. "We've got people lining up at the HELP Center."

Dirne's $22,000 modified RV has been funded by contributions from nonprofits, which include the Rotary Club of Coeur d'Alene, Kootenai Electric Cooperative, Kiwanis and the Lay Institute Mary of the Annunciation.

Services out of the clinic will be funded by Dirne, as an extension of its dental and homeless programs.

The vehicle should be serving homeless individuals by the end of August, Brockway said.

"It's a new type of medicine," he said. "Delivering care where it's needed."