SIU, Passavant Area Hospital, Morgan County Health Department to Open Family Medicine Clinic
A new family medicine clinic slated to open this summer will mean easier access to primary care for residents of Morgan County. Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Passavant Area Hospital and Morgan County Public Health Department have partnered to develop SIU Center for Family Medicine-Jacksonville, at 345 W. State St. in Jacksonville.
SIU School of Medicine’s Center for Family and Community Medicine, based in Springfield, will oversee the administration of the clinic. Passavant providers and health department medical staff will work on site at the center. The site is scheduled to open on August 29, 2016.
“This collaboration between our three organizations will provide general primary care services for adults and children as well as access by referral to behavioral health, psychiatry, optometry, podiatry, oral health and other specialty care,” said Iris Wesley, CEO of the SIU program. She estimates the center will see about 1,500 patients per year and will increase hours as volumes increase.
The center also will be a site to train family medicine resident physicians on the Patient-Centered Medical Home Model. “SIU’s family medicine resident training program educates residents, physician assistants and medical students to be self-educating practitioners and provide cost-effective, high quality and accessible care,” Wesley said.
Doug Rahn, DBA, Passavant Area Hospital President and CEO, said, “Our community health needs assessment identified access to care as a top priority. We are excited to partner with our health care friends at SIU and the Morgan County Health Department to open this family medicine clinic. It’s just another way we are fulfilling our mission to improve the health of the people and communities we serve.” Passavant is an affiliate of Memorial Health Systems.
“There’s a definite need for this type of health care for our at risk population, those who are uninsured, underinsured, or on Medicaid,” said Dale Bainter, administrator at the Morgan County Health Department.
“The Federally Qualified Health Center model provides a health care home for these individuals. It ensures they receive comprehensive health care.”
“As the first and oldest health department in Illinois, we’re excited and honored to be partnering with Passavant Area Hospital and the SIU Center for Family Health on the FQHC.”
Community Health Centers, also known as FQHCs, are non-profit, community-directed health care providers located in medically underserved rural and urban communities where health care resources are scarce. Health centers provide access to care regardless of insurance status or ability to pay.
ABOUT SIU CENTER FOR FAMILY MEDICINE
The SIU Center for Family Medicine, located in Springfield, has been serving patients in central Illinois for more than 40 years. In 2012, it was designated a federally qualified health center or FQHC, also referred to as a community health center. It will soon open a new 30,000 square foot facility to increase access to care. The Center also added a new access point in Quincy, Illinois, in July 2015. Together, they serve 22,000 patients annually with more than 75,000 visits, and both are family medicine residency and physician assistant training sites.
ABOUT PASSAVANT HOSPITAL
Passavant Area Hospital in Jacksonville, Illinois, a Memorial Health System affiliate, has been providing health care services to the residents of Morgan, Cass, Greene, Scott, and Macoupin counties, and portions of Brown and northern Pike counties in West Central Illinois since 1875. Passavant, licensed for 93 patient beds, is staffed by 900 full and part-time employees, and an active medical staff of 70 physicians. Passavant is the largest employer in Jacksonville.
Passavant Area Hospital is a Magnet® Hospital as recognized by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. The Hospital is accredited by The Joint Commission, and is a member of the American Hospital Association, the Illinois Hospital Association (IHA), and Veterans Hospital Association.
ABOUT MORGAN COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT
The Morgan County Health Department is the oldest health department in Illinois. Established in 1922, the Morgan County Health Department is the official health agency of the community supported by tax monies from Morgan County and grants from the state and federal government. It is certified by the Illinois Department of Public Health. The Morgan County Health Department receives direction from an eight member Board of Health which is appointed by the County Commissioners. The goal of the health department is to promote health by working with the community to protect the health and safety of individuals. Basic programs and services are offered to meet the needs of the community.
