Anyone who has ever had problems with acne or other skin-related issues can rest assured. North Idaho Dermatology (NID) now has an office in Moscow’s Gritman Medical Center. The facility is open a few days each month to provide patients better access to its services.
Dr. Stephen D. Craig, founder of Coeur d’ Alene-based NID, said coming to Moscow was a good idea.
“Idaho has the highest death-rate due to melanoma skin cancer in the entire country,” Craig said. “Many of us practice unsafe tanning habits that affect college-aged students the most, and I want to offer my services to help prevent that.”
The office, located in Gritman’s outpatient clinic at 700 S. Main St., opened in April 2011 and has had a lot of community support, Craig said.
It helps patients that live in this area, so they don’t have to drive long distances for a 15 to 20 minute appointment, he said.
“We work with other hospitals and clinics, so they are able to come to us and provide their services,” said Kelly O’Neill, community relations director for Gritman. “This gives people more access to the specific help they need, but without driving
to Spokane or Coeur d’ Alene to get it.”
J. Aaron Nicholes, chief operating officer of NID, said they are happy to be available to Moscow patients, and appreciate the referrals from other practices in the community.
“We decided to provide an office in Moscow because we felt like the demand was so great in the Moscow-Pullman area,” Nicholes said.
NID provides a wide variety of skin care, including treatment of acne, medical skin conditions and skin cancers. They also offer cosmetic dermatology services, which accounts for about 15 percent of their work, he said.
“We also accept most insurance companies, including group health, which isn’t usually covered by most dermatologist companies,” Nicholes said.
The NID staff travels to Moscow three or four days each month, and the staff on-hand is rotated between practices, Nicholes said.
“It’s not hard to get an appointment, we have openings,” Nicholes said. “As we grow in patient numbers, we might look at establishing a more permanent setting.”
He said they haven’t reached out a lot to the college-aged population in the area, but thinks students can benefit from dermatology services.
“We are really happy to be here, and have welcomed the great community support,” Nicholes said. “If our patients are willing to drive to see us, we are willing to make it more accessible to use our services.”
Call 208.292.5946 to schedule an appointment.