About 1,900 patients had to find a new doctor in October when one of the county’s two full-time offices, Nashville Family Medicine, closed as Dr. John Alessi retired.
Columbus Regional Hospital had operated that office in Salt Creek Plaza, on the Willow Street side of the Brown County YMCA building. At the time, CRH Public Relations Coordinator Kelsey DeClue said that CRH was “evaluating options” for the space.
Indiana University Health is now thinking about expanding there.
Earlier this month, service line administrator Chip Johnson said that IU had not officially taken over the space, but IU Health is “working with the landlord to figure out next steps.”
Another doctor’s office run by IU Health, Southern Indiana Physicians Family and Internal Medicine, is already in that building, across the lobby from Nashville Family Medicine.
“We are considering expansion into the space in order to provide more access points to patients in Brown County for their healthcare needs,” Johnson said.
Ensuring that communities have access to “top quality healthcare options so that their healthcare needs can be provided at the right place and at the right time” is of “upmost importance,” he said.
“Although no final decision has been made, we are considering multiple options for the potential expansion space,” he said.
One of the options is adding a nurse practitioner or physician in that space, Johnson said. “Additional consideration is being provided for the use of telemedicine for specialist care, or a visiting specialist clinic embedded within,” he said.
All three providers in the existing IU Health Nashville office are accepting new patients, Johnson said. At the end of 2017, nurse practitioner Cindy Colglazier joined the IU practice; Dr. Marin Garcia and nurse practitioner Dee Swanson also work there.
In November, CRH {span}opened a new practice on the west side of Bartholomew County, off {span}State Road 46 East at 4001 Goeller Boulevard. {span}MyCare Family Med is open until 7 p.m. on weekdays and until noon on Saturdays; same-day appointments are offered when possible.
READ MORE ABOUT HEALTH CARE:
http://www.bcdemocrat.com/2019/01/30/checkup_ambulanc…services_planned/
http://www.bcdemocrat.com/2019/01/29/checkup_brown_co…_year_of_service/
