Fees increase for public health visits

The county public health department hiked all in-office fees now under $10 to a base fee of $10 at a meeting with county commissioners Monday, Oct. 18.

Health Director Fran Martin said all fees at the public health office are on a sliding fee scale based on a visitor’s family income.

Before Monday’s meeting, a visitor could have been charged less than $10 for a particular fee, according to their income on the sliding scale. Now all fees that used to cost under $10 will now cost $10.

Martin said the move would help compensate their office, although they still won’t be earning back the full cost of the services.

County commissioners also passed a resolution accepting an across-the-board document detailing patient fees at both the Pullman and Colfax health offices.

Martin said the two offices hadn’t been operating on the same page as far as visit fees were concerned. The new document will guide both offices into more compatibility, she said.