Kaniksu Health Services breaks ground on new clinic

By Reader Staff

Three of the five Kaniksu Health Services clinic locations will soon be combined into one, purpose-built clinic. 

Designed to be more focused on health care integration and the patient experience, the new 26,200-square-foot Victoria McClellan King Memorial Clinic will be located on a 2.66-acre site to the east of Super One Foods in Sandpoint. 

This rendering of the Kaniksu Health Services Victoria McClellan King Clinic may or may not reflect final design and construction elements. Courtesy d’Zine Group Architecture.

Clinic officials anticipate this centrally located site will provide easy access for residents of Bonner County as well as keep the close proximity to the hospital that is vital for pediatric support. Patients will be able to access the clinic via foot, bicycle, automobile, spot bus or just about any mode of transportation available. 

The Ponderay, Sandpoint Pediatric and VA clinics are all currently operating with limited space and parking, and a combined clinic, with fully integrated services, is hoped to benefit Kaniksu’s patients and the community as a whole. 

Funding for the project was procured by Joe Williams at Columbia Bank in conjunction with area specialists from the United States Department of Agriculture, which has a low-interest funding arm for rural projects. This will result in significant savings annually by consolidating multiple commercial leases into one low-interest mortgage payment, allowing more dollars to be invested into patient care. 

The state-of-the-art facility will allow for full integration of Kaniksu’s family practice, pediatric, dental, behavioral health and VA services. The community focused design will also allow for spaces for group and nutrition classes, community presentations and more.

Committed to utilizing local talent for this project, Kaniksu Health Services has spent the past five years working with local developers, engineering and land surveying companies. The project, which was recently open to bid as per loan guidelines, will be built by Spokane-based Meridian Construction. 

“We are excited to fully integrate patient care by joining our family medicine, pediatric, dental, behavioral health and VA teams together on one main campus”, said Kaniksu Health CEO Kevin Knepper.

“Having all of our health care services together in this way creates ease of access for our patients and efficient service deliveries for our clinical teams,” Knepper stated. “Kaniksu will memorialize the legacy of former CEO, Victoria McClellan King, whose leadership was foundational in the health center’s evolution, by naming the new clinic in her honor.”

Kaniksu Health Services broke ground for the new clinic in November 2020 with an approximate opening date in the fall of 2021.