MVHC expanding services in Coshocton County
Plans are currently in the works for a second urgent care in the county. Coshocton Regional Medical Center officially opened its facility on Sept. 8 at 406 S. 15th St., and Muskingum Valley Health Center is making plans to open one in October.
“We feel like there is a need in the community for nontraditional and weekend hours for people to get appropriate care for illnesses in a primary-care setting,” said Dan Atkinson, MVHC CEO. “We are working with the owner of the former Rapid Care facility to (hopefully) open up there.”
Adult and pediatric services will be available, and staff will be able to access current MVHC patient records.
“We will be able to already have all of our patients’ medical history, but we can accommodate any patient who can’t get to their primary-care physician because the office is closed or it’s not during normal hours,” Atkinson said. “We will refer them back to their physician too for any follow-up care.”
Atkinson said the urgent care will help minimize the need for unnecessary trips to the emergency room. Visits also will be billed the same as primary-care appointments.
“The overall need for this is sufficient in Coshocton County,” Atkinson said. “We think there is more than enough room for multiple facilities to open in this service area. There is a lot of need for access. We hope this particular level of service encourages patients to access care when they need it and take time to get established with a primary-care provider. If we see someone with a chronic illness, we can help link them to a primary-care physician to make sure their symptoms are managed. We want to help people have a higher quality of life, especially those who may be reluctant to seek services. We can help them understand the importance of health and wellness.”
Atkinson also wants to spread the word that there is affordable treatment out there. “Regardless of your ability to pay, our goal is to make sure you have access to care,” he said.
MVHC also expanded its school-based program to West Lafayette, where it opened a clinic in the modular behind Ridgewood Elementary School.
“I’m really excited about the opportunity to expand access to schools and children and also the local community,” Atkinson said.
The clinic offers medical services to students of all ages and has a social worker available for behavioral-health issues. There also are hours set aside for the community to take advantage of services.
“When children get through their well visits and vaccinations, we start to see a drop-off in patients maintaining a connection with a primary-care provider,” Atkinson said. “This is an opportunity to keep young adults and children connected to health and wellness and screenings.”
MVHC worked with administration at Ridgewood and school nurses to establish if there was a need for the clinic.
“It became clear to us that there was a need for greater access,” Atkinson said. “Many students don’t have enough access to care. Kids are struggling to get to medical facilities and follow-ups for certain medical conditions. Another plus to this is the social worker will be right there to help students struggling with issues at home or school. They will be there full time to support the children.”
Parents wanting to know more about the school-based clinic can visit Ridgewood’s district website, where they will find additional information and links to the forms to fill out.
“We think it’s important as a healthcare provider to invest in our young people and give the access to quality care,” Atkinson said. “We want to minimize as many barriers to healthcare services as we can. We are going to continue to invest resources in this program and work with districts to establish partnerships with MVHC. These programs are designed to meet the needs of the district.”
Another future MVHC project is expanding the Browns Lane facility in Coshocton. “We want to have space to eventually move our dental services there as well,” Atkinson said.
The dentist office is still in the MVHC former location on South 15th Street.
“We recently got a new dentist for the Coshocton site, Dr. Khan,” Atkinson said. “He’s a great person and a great addition to our team.”
For more information on any of MVHC’s offices or to make an appointment, call 1-888-454-5157.
Category: Business
