If you subscribe to this newspaper, or even if you bought it off the newsstand, you most likely have medical insurance of some sort. If you picked it up in your local diner or found it in the trash, you may not. Or, what you have doesn’t cover very much.

Regardless of your status, you may know someone, a neighbor perhaps or a co-worker, who is struggling with the expenses of everyday life and finding that buying health insurance just doesn’t fit into the monthly budget. But we all know that illnesses and chronic conditions don’t by-pass those people just because they can’t afford insurance.

That’s where Bonner Partners in Care Clinic comes in. Filling a health care hole since 2003, BPICC is an oft-kept secret resource to the community. Open one night a week, alternating Tuesday and Thursday, staffed by local physicians and clerical volunteers, BPICC sees patients with non-emergency issues for as little as one dollar.

That’s right! The most they charge is $10 depending on the patient’s ability to pay. And, no appointment is necessary. Show up at 5 p.m., the clinic is held at the Panhandle Health Building at 1020 Michigan St., and the doors open at 5:30 p.m. The next clinic is Tuesday, July 2. Eight patients are seen each evening and are taken in the order they’re in line, or based on how urgent their care needs are.

Respiratory, sinus, gastro-intestinal, bladder, urinary tract infections or suspicious rashes will trump medication monitoring for diabetes or hypertension, but all patients are evaluated and either treated, asked to return the following week or referred to the hospital’s emergency department.

“We recently saw a patient who had been throwing up daily for the last 10 years,” Amy Topp, BPICC Clinic Administrator said. “But she didn’t have the money to see a doctor. She was dealing with something you and I wouldn’t have put up with for two days.” Topp said that the woman was embarrassed that she needed what some might consider a hand-out.

“Once they discover us, our patients couldn’t be more grateful,” Topp said. “And we appreciate our volunteer physicians who work all day in their practices and then come here at night.”

When asked what message she’d like our readers to know about BPICC, Topp said, “I want them to know what a great asset BPICC is to the county and that all funding comes from members of the community. Infections caught early benefit everyone and saving a trip to the hospital saves taxpayer’s money. It’s for the community and by the community.”

Topp also wants everyone to know that they are always in need of volunteers and knowledge of healthcare isn’t necessary as there is plenty of clerical work to be done. Oh, and of course, the clinic is always in need of donations.

Money can be sent to BPICC at 1020 Michigan St., Sandpoint, ID 83864. If you have medical supplies that you no longer need, such as testing strips, syringes or bed pads, they can be donated to that address as well.

Call Amy Topp at 255-9099 for more information. If she’s unavailable, her answering machine will tell you the future dates that the clinic will be held. The dates are also posted on the doors of Panhandle Health and on Bonner Partners in Care Facebook page.

Kathy Hubbard is a trustee on Bonner General Hospital Foundation Board. She can be reached at kathyleehubbard@yahoo.com or 264-4029.