PLUMMER, Idaho -

The Benewah Medical Center in Plummer, Idaho is the only medical facility within 20 miles and with more people seeking medical help, the center needed a new home.

On Friday that new, $17 Million home for the medical center opened for business.

"I remember a time when we had to travel off the reservation to get health care," Health Board member Bernie LaSarte said.

Everyone in Plummer was celebrating another milestone for the Coeur d'Alene Tribe Friday morning.

The new medical center, at 50,000 square feet, is roughly three times as big as the old medical center. Employees have moved out of the old building and into the new one and while the grand opening was Friday patients are already seeing doctors.

The new medical center serves approximately 6,000 who come from as far as Montana and Eastern Washington for care.

"To have a facility such as this in our midst is just remarkable," LaSarte said.

The $17 Million project was funded by a federal grant, the tribe and the medical center itself. It's a critical facility for an area with a growing population and few nearby medical options, as the closest hospitals are either in Coeur d'Alene or St. Maries.

Now some rest a little easier knowing medical care is just minutes away.

"To have a quality facility and quality health care right here in Plummer is fabulous and something we've dreamed about for a long time," LaSarte said.