COEUR d'ALENE - Joseph Abate cringes when he hears the increasingly reoccurring theme of residents not seeking medical help due to the economy, no insurance or other reasons, especially when there's help such as Saturday's free HealthFest.

"We'd like to become a community solution to a community problem," said Abate, a head physician at Dirne Community Health Center and HealthFest volunteer.

The event at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds featured medical and dental exams, mental health services, health education classes, kids' activities, meals and information on assistance agencies. Nearly 300 sought medical help.

"The goal is to bring people in who don't have adequate medical care and establish them with a provider," Abate said.

Andrea Thomas, spokesperson for the North Idaho Health Network consisting of area hospitals, said there's an estimated 25,000 people without health insurance in Kootenai County.

Alisa Vincent of Coeur d'Alene had her daughters Stella, 4, and Sadie, 1, checked out at HealthFest.

"We came because I heard about all the services offered ... and (Stella) wanted to go to the jump house," Alisa said.

Vincent said she thought she'd see lines of people seeking service since she knows a lot of people are in need due to the recession, but that wasn't the case.

"I was surprised that parking was easy and you could get right in," she said. "It's sad that it's not super busy. You don't need to be sick to come. You can just get checked up."

Abate said people of all ages and backgrounds sought services.

"We saw a lot of young families come in on up to seniors and veterans," he said.

Grace Porter of Coeur d'Alene said she came to see a doctor and check out the booths.

"I think it's neat that they have this," she said.

Abate said some people see medical care as a "luxury" and believe that seeking help will automatically be costly, so a focus behind HealthFest is educating the public that there are affordable options available.

Abate said, from both a personal and medical standpoint, it's better to seek help for problems early on or to have regular checkups rather than wait.

"It's more cost-effective for them to take care of it with us as opposed to end up in an emergency room with a crisis," he said. "Unfortunately, preventative care doesn't exist in many cases."

Abate said that he and other doctors have detected serious issues such as heart failure during free or affordable community health events.

HealthFest, which had 250 volunteers, is a collaboration between Lake City Community Church, PacificSource Health Plans, NIHN, Panhandle Health District, Medical Reserve Corps, Dirne, United Way and Kootenai Health.

It mushroomed out of an event that served about 150 two years ago at Coeur d'Alene Charter Academy after Rick Croyle of Lake City Community Church saw the overlap between those needing food and medical care through the church's food bank.

HealthFest, and any followup services people need from being seen, is funded with a $25,000 grant through PacificSource.

"It's not just coming here for an exam, then going off to figure out things on your own," Thomas said of the followup care.