By JULIE CARLE
BG Independent News
The Wood County Community Health Center continues its mission of caring for patients in refreshed and renovated spaces thanks to a $607,000 renovation project at the East Gypsy Lane Road facility.
A $517,000 grant from the Health Resources Services Administration provided the majority of funding that expanded the pharmacy and waiting area, added a behavioral health wing, and improved the overall flow of the community health center.
Wood County Health Commissioner Ben Robison welcomed the public during an open house on Public Health Thank You Day on Monday (Nov. 20) and thanked the employees and partners “who are on the front lines keeping people in our communities safe.”
The renovation of the community health center is just one component of enhancing the continuum of care for families from seniors to babies, said Dr. John Coates, medical director. “From the very first welcome, we are providing patient care in a comprehensive care center for chronic and acute medical care,” he said.
The waiting room and the pharmacy are the two first and most visible changes to the space. The waiting room has new lighting, as well as ample seating and space to walk around.
The pharmacy, which previously was tucked within the interior of the health center, now is front and center. The new pharmacy location is three times larger, allowing for more storage and the ability to serve more clients, Coates said.
The new behavioral health wing is in response to increasing demand for mental health services, said Jennifer Lovelace, a peer recovery specialist, and Amy Johnson, a behavior specialist at the health center. The additional space devoted to behavioral health also offers more privacy for clients.
Services include Medication Assisted Treatment to help with smoking, alcohol and other drug addictions. Lovelace said Wood County is the only facility in the state that offers free access to the Bridge, a non-pharmaceutical device to assist with withdrawal from opioid use.
The health department is also one of the three locations in the county to house a NARCAN vending machine. Both treatments are possible with funds from the Wood County Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board.
The health center is doing additional screening and assessments starting with primary care. “The screening questions are targeted at the beginning of the process,” Johnson said, to determine early on if there are behavioral health concerns.
Behavioral health is important for a balanced lifestyle and health. Everyone experiences emotions; we are here to provide patient advocacy,” Lovelace said.
The health center also offers reproductive health, chronic care management and dental care. Providing dental care for all ages is important to Dr. Bushra Aouthmany, who joined the Wood County Community Health Center in 2019.
The dental center offers cleanings, extractions, root canals, fillings, dentures, partials and crowns. Aouthmany also is a proponent of dental education, sharing the importance of good dental hygiene and explaining how poor oral health can be linked to health issues in other parts of the body.
“I love being able to make a difference in people’s lives,” she said.
Nilgun Sezginis, vice president of the board of health, said she is pleased to see the expansion of services during her tenure on the board. The services are important for the community, she said, especially for clients who are on Medicare and Medicaid or have no health insurance to take advantage of the sliding fee scale.
“These types of integrated services are necessary to fill the gap,” she said.
