Adena Health System, in collaboration with Hopewell Health Centers and the Chillicothe City School District (CCSD), revealed plans this week for a new primary care clinic to serve people living on Chillicothe’s east side. The new clinic will be housed within the Mount Logan Elementary School/Early Childhood Center, located at 841 E. Main St., Chillicothe.
The clinic, a collaboration between the three entities, will offer care for minor acute and long-term primary care needs. It will serve the school-based population, as well as people of all ages living in the surrounding neighborhoods.
“One agency cannot take care of everything, and what you’re seeing today is a combination of education and health care coming together,” said Adena President and CEO Jeff Graham. “Adena’s strategy around partnerships is all about keeping care close to home. This partnership will give access to primary care for people living in this community. In our research, we looked at the needs of the community, and the data showed a lack of access to health care in the area. This clinic will be a start in meeting the health care needs of the children and adults of the neighborhood.”
The collaboration between Adena, Hopewell Health and CCSD is expected to meet the growing health care needs of people in the area east of Bridge Street and west of Route 35, giving them a new option for close-to-home primary care services. The availability of space within the property will enable the clinic and health care services to grow to meet future needs if necessary.
Determined to keep the school as a neighborhood hub, CCSD came up with the concept to lease space within the school building to house a clinic; coming to Adena to help develop a plan.
“We came to realize as board members and as a district that by keeping the building open, we could not only have an impact on kids, we could have an impact on the community,” School Board President Steve Mullins said. “The first group we knew we wanted to partner with was Adena Health System. They have been a great partner of our’s through the years, and they provide so many services for our kids. You can ride through town on any given day and see the impact Adena has on our community.”
Soon after Adena and CCSD began working on a plan, Hopewell Health Centers was brought to the table for its expertise in providing high quality, community-based health care. Hopewell Health will operate the clinic, serving as its primary clinic service provider. Adena will support the project by renovating the old band room into a running health clinic, which will also serve as an education venue for Adena’s Graduate Medical Education residents. The experiences they will be involved with at the clinic will give them valuable hands-on training in administering community-based health care. Additionally, advocates with Adena’s Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Advocacy Services will be housed within the facility.
Construction to remodel the space will begin soon, with the clinic set to open later this summer.
For more about Adena Health System visit adena.org, or follow iut on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter @adenamedical.
Submitted by Maria Smith, director corporate communications, Adena Health System.
