It was Randy Parsons' children who first suggested his snoring might be worse than just its turbulent roar.

"They were really concerned when I was sleeping, I was snoring at night and quit breathing," the Coeur d'Alene resident said. "I couldn't get enough air, I kept waking up. I was getting two or three hours of sleep at night, tops."

Parsons was soon diagnosed with sleep apnea, a condition where an individual stops breathing repeatedly during sleep, depriving the brain of oxygen.

But there wasn't much he could do about it.

The best treatment for sleep apnea is the CPAP machine (continuous positive airway pressure) that helps individuals breathe during sleep.

But the apparatus, with oxygen mask, can cost up to $1,500. Even with his insurance, Parsons couldn't afford one.

"I didn't have the option," the 57-year-old said.

That is, until a couple months ago, when he discovered the new CPAP program offered at Dirne Community Health Center.

After a brief interview with the program's volunteer organizer, Dr. James Osmanski, Parsons received a CPAP machine from Dirne for a mere $25.

After adjusting to the oxygen mask at night, Parsons said, he feels more energetic, more alert.

"No more snoring. It's worked out good," Parsons said.

There is a greater need for affordable CPAP machines than some may realize, said Dr. Osmanski, medical director at the Northwest Specialty Hospital sleep lab.

After the recession hit, Osmanski said, he noticed that fewer Kootenai County residents with sleep apnea could afford the machine that would solve all their troubles.

"I would say, 'You have sleep apnea. The way we diagnose it is to do a sleep study, and that's expensive, and the way we treat it is with a CPAP machine, which is also expensive,'" Osmanski recalled. "And they'd say, 'Thank you very much,' and walk out the door and never come back.'"

That prompted Osmanski to team up with Dirne, he said.

For the past eight months, Osmanski and a team of sleep specialists have held monthly clinics at Dirne to consult with individuals about sleep apnea and using CPAP machines.

The clinic has seen over 60 individuals so far, he said. And thanks to donations from various healthcare providers, the clinic has distributed 25 CPAP machines for a nominal fee to individuals who couldn't otherwise afford them.

While the number of recipients so far isn't overwhelming, Osmanksi said, those patients have avoided both substantial costs and future health issues.

"(Sleep apnea) is linked to a lot of chronic diseases," Osmanski said, estimating that up to 20 percent of the population probably has sleep apnea. "There are a lot of adverse affects of untreated sleep apnea."

The program needs some more oxygen itself, though.

Dirne has nearly exhausted its supply of donated CPAP machines, Osmanski said.

"I think we had two on the shelf. Each (clinic), we see around five new patients, and invariably about four CPAP machines walk out," Osmanski said. "Each month we call and scramble around, 'Who's got a machine?'"

While hunting for other options, Dirne is asking the public to donate machines.

Many county residents might have old machines they have replaced, or that they no longer use after entering an assisted living facility, said Dirne spokesman Alan Brockway.

"If this is sitting in someone's closet, and they don't think of it having any value, a lot of people are suffering from sleep apnea," Brockway said.

He dubbed the CPAP program one more way that Dirne can help low-income and uninsured people in the community, he added.

People can donate CPAP machines by dropping them at Dirne, at 1090 Park Place in Coeur d'Alene, or by calling Brockway at 415-0292 to pick up machines.

Many could still be helped through the program, Brockway said.

"That piece of equipment really means improved quality of life for that uninsured patient," he said.