University of Western States (UWS) has partnered with Marimn Health, a Federally Qualified Health Center on Coeur d’Alene Tribal land near Plummer, Idaho, as a UWS Community Based Internship (CBI) site. UWS Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) student interns train with Dr. Ryan Kain, a chiropractic physician provider at Marimn Health, to serve members of the Tribal and surrounding rural populations.
“We are excited to partner with Marimn Health to provide learning opportunities for our interns, to help deliver health care to a broader community, and to teach others about the benefits of chiropractic health care,” said UWS President Dr. Joseph Brimhall.
Dr. Stanley Ewald, UWS associate dean of the UWS College of Chiropractic added, “Just about every indicator of health and health care access demonstrates large disparities among our Native American population.”
Located 45 minutes south of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, Marimn Health is a Federal Qualified Health Center (FQHC) operated by the Coeur d’Alene Tribe. Marimn Health serves patients from the Tribal community and from the surrounding rural areas. Students from a variety of health care disciplines such as physician assistants, nurse practitioners, medical students, osteopathic students, and now chiropractic students complete clinical rotations at Marimn Health.
“We are thrilled to partner with UWS to further our mission of providing excellent health care to those we serve,” said Dr. Kain. “With UWS being an institution in our region that aligns with our integrative care model, it’s a partnership we are thrilled to collaborate on.”
The UWS CBI program enhances the clinical training of chiropractic interns who demonstrate defined competencies, as they continue their training in established chiropractic practices. UWS CBI interns gain valuable real-world experience and insights about various aspects of chiropractic practice. Marimn Health provides UWS interns the opportunity to collaborate with an integrative health care community, advancing the UWS vision, ”To Advance Quality of Life and Wellness Through Transformative Education and Health Care.”
“Our first and foremost goal for the students is for them to gain experience and exposure to multi-professional integrative care, and how to grow and cooperate alongside practitioners from other professions,” said Dr. Kain. “I really want the interns from other professions to experience the healing power of chiropractic care and learn how our disciplines can collaborate, develop professional relationships, and provide referrals all “For the Good of the Patient.”