Kalispel Tribe, Ferry County Hospital District awarded rural health care grants

Empire Health Foundation awarded $580,000 in equipment and small capital project grants to eight rural health care facilities, with funding from Premera Blue Cross. Two of these grants went to rural health care facilities in Eastern Washington.

The Kalispel Tribe of Indians received $52,000 to expand and purchase equipment for its growing wellness, medical and dental clinic called the Camas Center, located on the reservation near Usk.

It will also help expand naturopathic care and traditional tribal medicine practices at the clinic.

The Ferry County Hospital District received $100,000 to purchase cardiac monitoring equipment for its hospital in Republic. This will enable the hospital to monitor more critical patients as well as partner with other local rural health providers to offer care.

The other six grants went to other tribal health facilities and several central Washington health care facilities, including in Chelan and Okanagon counties. Last fall, Premera Blue Cross gave Empire Health Foundation $5 million to award grants to rural health care facilities over four years. This was the first of several grant cycles.

There will be at least two more cycles of grant funding in 2020 through the program. The next request for proposals period begins March 2.