Coeur d'Alene Proclaims MS Awareness Week, Kootenai Health Joins Effort

Coeur d'Alene Fire Chief Tom Greif had been a paramedic for years before multiple sclerosis entered his own life. Diagnosed in 2019, he still had to look up the disease to understand what it meant for him. "It was life-changing for me and my family," Greif said, speaking before the Coeur d'Alene City Council on March 3 as the city formally declared MS Awareness Week from March 8 to 14, 2026, and recognized March as Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month.

Mayor Dan Gookin joined Greif, Kootenai Health MS specialist Dr. Nina Bozinov, and patient advocate Zeke Chemodurow for the proclamation presentation.

MS is an autoimmune disease in which the protective cover surrounding nerve cells is stripped away, disrupting signals traveling through the central nervous system. Bozinov described the nervous system as an alarm network constantly relaying information throughout the body. "It kind of disrupts that signal," she said. The resulting symptoms span a wide range: vision loss, numbness, tingling, mood changes, memory problems, pain, fatigue, and bowel or bladder issues. "One of the biggest challenges in MS is that where the spots happen can determine what symptoms happen," Bozinov said.

Bozinov is the only fellowship-trained MS specialist in this part of Idaho, and her presence at Kootenai Health has reshaped access to care across the region. Before she joined after a specialist gap that ran from 2017 to 2020, patients in North Idaho routinely traveled to Spokane or Seattle for MS care. Now she treats patients not only from Kootenai County but also from Washington and Montana. "It allows us to stop the attacks from happening, which is the ultimate goal," she said of early intervention, noting that timely diagnosis can reduce the long-term burden of a lifelong condition. More than 20 FDA-approved treatments currently exist for MS.

The Idaho Panhandle's geography makes this local capacity especially significant. Approximately 6,700 people in Idaho are living with MS, and MS prevalence in the Pacific Northwest may run up to three times higher than in southern states. The region's northern latitude is believed to contribute to that elevated rate.

Bozinov used the awareness week to call on the broader community to stand behind those managing the disease. "There are patient champions that are willing to get out there and share their stories," she said. National MS Week, running through March 14, is framed as a chance to recognize people living with the condition, support their caregivers, advance public education, and highlight research progress. The city's proclamation, in the words of the accompanying materials, affirms Coeur d'Alene's commitment to its residents living with MS.