# Town Hall - Healthcare in Kootenai County

Kootenai County healthcare town hall, September 30, 2026, featured County Commissioner Bruce Metari, Panhandle Health District Director Thomas Fletcher, and Heritage Health CEO Mike Baker discussing community health, public-health responsibilities, and future care models. Heritage Health described its board-approved Center for Healthy Living project at the former U.S. Bank call center on Celtis Way, which is intended to bring multiple care providers and services together; Baker said the organization expects to onboard 20 providers by year-end. He also described a food-as-medicine kitchen and group wellness programming. These were discussed as organizational initiatives, not as county contract awards or procurement approvals.

Fletcher said he had submitted a federal grant proposal for a voluntary, multi-year clinical demonstration project comparing conventional and functional-care approaches, with rural Medicaid patients as a primary target and clinical outcomes tracked over five years. He said Panhandle Health would coordinate a community provider network if funded; no award was announced. The discussion also addressed the district’s clinic, which Fletcher said had previously faced possible closure after clinical services declined and was kept open this year following county discussions and funding support. No procurement-related vote, contract award, vendor selection, or purchasing action occurred during this town hall.

**Jurisdictions:** sled
**Industries:** Healthcare
**Topics:** Grants & Funding
**Published:** September 30, 2026

### Sources
- [Town Hall - Healthcare in Kootenai County](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhY1epowhX8) - Kootenai County Idaho