Bowen Health Clinic offering primary healthcare

Bowen Center introduced the public to its newest health clinic Wednesday. The primary healthcare clinic is co-located with Bowen Center’s Huntington mental health outpatient offices, and offers an integrated approach to healthcare for infants, children, adolescents and adults. In addition to the Huntington location, Bowen Center recently opened health clinics in Fort Wayne and Warsaw with more planned.

The Community Mental Health Center’s move into integrated care addresses the strong link between mental and physical health. By integrating mental and physical healthcare under one roof, the center’s goal is to reach underserved populations, improve their quality of life and extend their life expectancy by treating the whole person.
“What this means is our friends in the Huntington community are going to have better access to healthcare,” said Dr. Tanner Babb, a member of Bowen Center’s board of directors. “The advantage of having all one’s healthcare needs met in one location and often in the same appointment, is a continuity of care which demonstrates that all aspects of a patient’s health is valued.”

“When patients are cared for in this holistic manner it leads to better health outcomes and healthier communities,” said Emily Vanderpool, Bowen Health Clinic Nurse Practitioner. “Our goal in this clinic is to not only provide care to anyone who walks through our doors, but to do so in a kind and compassionate manner. We intend to educate and empower our patients to be advocates for their own health and well-being,” said Ms. Vanderpool.

Matt Ditzler, director of the Huntington Community Foundation and a member of Bowen Center’s board of directors, points to a speaker at a recent statewide conference who said that for the most vulnerable populations, the emergency room is often someone’s first visit to a doctor. “This line stuck with me as I believe it truly underscores the access issues that exist in our current healthcare system,” said Ditzler. “Through this new Bowen Health Clinic, our friends and neighbors in Huntington County are going to have greater access to local, quality healthcare.”

The challenges that adults with mental illness face are made more difficult if they are living in poverty and both factors can mean a shorter life expectancy. “Why do people living in poverty and especially those with mental illness live shorter lives? We know why. They have complex health needs trying to navigate a fragmented and costly health system,” said Dr. Robert Ryan, Bowen Center senior vice president of operations. “For over 20 years, research has shown that many of the years lost to mental illness can be returned to the person if they have access to integrated care, care provided in a setting where multidisciplinary teams work together for the good to the patient, have improved access to care (or income-based care), knowledge and motivation. Bowen Center is perfectly positioned to help all of these contributing factors. Physical health, psychiatry, dental health, optometry and pharmacy all working together for the good of the patient. Today in Huntington we’re taking our first step in that integrative care model with the promise of more services to come,” said Dr. Ryan.

Huntington Mayor Richard Strick recognized Bowen Center’s legacy of providing mental healthcare services to Huntington and northern Indiana, and the enhanced services it will now offer. “We welcome this new chapter in the lives of this community’s people,” said Mayor Strick.

Bowen Health Clinic in Huntington is located at 2860 Northpark Avenue. Medicaid, Medicare and private insurance is welcome, but no one is turned away for an inability to pay. Same or next day appointments are available. Call (888) 470-0082 to make an appointment or for more information.

About Bowen Center

Bowen Center started as a non-profit Community Mental Health Center in northern Indiana in 1961. The Center now serves most of Indiana treating patients in-person, by phone or video conference with emotional health care, along with addiction recovery services and primary health care clinics located in Fort Wayne, Huntington and Warsaw, Indiana. 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 www.bowencenter.org.