COEUR d’ALENE — Participants in Leadership Coeur d’Alene learned about the highs and lows of the current health care industry Thursday during a special event at the Health Resource Center at Kootenai Health. 

During a mental health panel discussion, Julie Krapfl of Ellie Mental Health painted a stark picture of area resources and the struggle to keep guardrails in place.

“Idaho ranks among the worst states in the nation for mental health access,” Krapfl said. “North Idaho has one of the highest suicide rates in the state and children and adolescents are particularly affected.” 

David Atkins, clinical director of psychiatry at Heritage Health, said that while area providers are trying to keep up with need, there is a gap in youth services. 

Often, there is a nine-month waitlist for mental health testing children and adolescents and difficulty navigating new treatments rules for youth for providers. 

“If you can pay someone to go into the community and provide care, it is a far better use of our resources than a hospitalization,” Atkins said.        

He said insurance companies choose providers to be covered, compounding costs for families and lower reimbursement rates for service providers.

In order to triage federal and state cuts to mental heath funding, Atkins recommended Idaho residents speak to political representatives to make sure cuts don’t add to the delicate balance that already exists when it comes to keeping people in crises safe. 

“Voting has consequences,” Atkins said. “Learn about who you’re voting for.” 

Kootenai Health Behavioral Health Director Sandra Mueller said medical reimbursement rates aren’t keeping up with the cost to do business. 

“It’s a constant dance, the battle with insurance rate reimbursement,” Mueller said. 

Because of the rising need and dwindling resources, Heritage Health, Kootenai Health and Canopy Village have focused on specialized services.

“We can’t afford to duplicate services,” Mueller said. “At Kootenai Heath, we have 30 beds for an entire community.”    . 

Mueller said to take the mental health advocacy to the insurance companies when it comes to out-of-service providers.

“Communities react to the fear of what mental health is and insurance companies feed off the stigma and the families aren’t talking to each other,” Mueller said.      

Canopy Village Executive Director Rosa Mettler said the youth that she helps need to continue to have access to mental health resources. 

“The system isn’t driven by need or what would make it better for the patient, it’s insurance. The system makes you have multiple crises,” Mettler said.  

She urged empathy when youth misbehave to try to see if there are greater underlying problems. 

“If a kid is stealing, it’s easy to judge and say, ‘Bad kid.’ But maybe there’s no food in the home,” Mettler said.   

When mental health care funding  is reduced, it leads to services being cut, along with the pay for providers.   

“Vote and talk to your legislators, there’s so much at risk. We cannot run a business on Medicaid dollars to sustain ourselves and the services we need, so that political need is really important,” Mettler said. “We’re very resource poor in our area when it comes to mental health and children and it could impact your family directly or your neighbor.” 

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The North Idaho Crisis Center at 2301 Ironwood Place in Coeur d’Alene offers free, confidential help for people who are having a mental health crisis or substance abuse problems and is open 24/7. No referral is necessary. Call 208-625-4884 for help. 

Idaho Suicide Prevention Hotline: Call or text 988.