Bowen Center, county work on health care

Bowen Center representatives met with the Huntington County Commissioners on Monday to review the services provided in Huntington County in the past year and plans for the future, including having a crisis stabilization unit available for Huntington residents. In addition, Bowen Center representatives announced to the Commissioners that they have applied for an Indiana grant to cover a remote crisis response team that would be dispatched by 988 operators. 988 is the national suicide prevention hotline. Mobile crisis teams are trained behavioral health professionals who respond to anyone experiencing mental health-related distress. They quickly arrive on-site and provide specialized crisis care in their community.

“We’re excited to begin the planning of our crisis stabilization unit based in Pierceton, Indiana, and servicing Huntington,” said Dr. Rob Ryan, Bowen Center president and CEO. “In the past, we have done what we could without grant dollars, but our efforts have always been limited by a lack of funding. These new state dollars will dramatically improve the likelihood that a mental health crisis will not escalate and require police intervention.

Bowen Center works in partnership with the County Commissioners to provide accessible mental health care, primary health care, addiction recovery services, and behavior modification coaching to at-risk individuals in the county. The Center also provides intensive addiction recovery treatment and relapse prevention services. In 2022 the Center added primary health care and pharmacy services for its patients with Bowen Health Clinic co-located in its Outpatient Services office. In the past year, the Center in Huntington had nearly 78,000 patient visits.

“We appreciate the support of the County Commissioners who share our goal of increasing capacity so more Huntington residents can get the care they need,” said Shelly Snyder, Bowen Center – Huntington director. “We have seen the impact of having primary care and mental health care under one roof with a pharmacy right down the hall. Patients really appreciate the convenience. It is a privilege to help individuals in our community gain easy access to quality health care and we look forward to another year of growth and helping more individuals live their best lives longer,” said Ms. Snyder.

Last year Bowen Center announced the purchase of land along State Road 24 in the county to build a new facility that will allow for continued growth and will include more services such as dental and optometry.

“A couple of years ago we talked with the County Commissioners about what direction to take in Huntington, and we decided to bring total health services to Huntington as quickly as possible, especially for those with Medicaid or who are uninsured, was key,” said Dr. Ryan. “That meant immediately investing in our current facility to be able to provide physical health care and purchasing land along State Road 24 for our future expansion. Today, we are proud to offer ready access to mental and physical health care in Huntington in one convenient location to those populations,” Dr. Ryan said.

About Bowen Center

Bowen Center started as a non-profit Community Mental Health Center in northern Indiana in 1961. The center now serves Hoosiers from Indianapolis north treating patients with emotional health care, primary health care, addiction recovery services, and life skills coaching. Bowen Center strives to strengthen its communities and to improve the health and well-being of those it is privileged to serve. For more information visit BowenCenter.org.