Five former Ascension providers join Southern Indiana Community Health Care to continue serving patients at two new locations in Bedford, Mitchell.

BEDFORD – Responding to community needs, Southern Indiana Community Health Care medical professionals have set plans to open new locations in Bedford and Mitchell (Indiana). The new locations will support obstetrics (OB) and family primary care services in the region, according to Nancy Radcliff, CEO. Primary care and OB patients who will be affected by the announced closing of the Ascension Dunn Hospital in Bedford now have the option to continue medical care locally.

Facility construction and other holiday-related issues are resulting in a short delay in Southern Indiana Community Health Care opening its new Lawrence County offices. We are grateful for your understanding and look forward to serving you.

The offices are now scheduled to open a few weeks later than originally planned. Here is new information: beginning in February 2023, Southern Indiana Community Health Care will begin serving patients in its new offices in Mitchell and Bedford. Phone support for appointments and patient transitions for these offices will begin the first week of January 2023. Those who would like more information or would like to schedule a 2023 appointment can call 812-675-4470 for the Bedford office and 812-992-5440 for the Mitchell office after January 3, 2023.

Please visit sichc.org to confirm location addresses and other relevant information.

Joining the Southern Indiana Community group in the new Bedford and Mitchell offices will be Carrie Browne, MD (Bedford); Tricia Spoonmore, Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) (Bedford); Kristi Nissley, FNP (Mitchell); Amanda Bowman, FNP (Bedford); and Lori Day, FNP (Bedford). Other established Southern Indiana Community Health physicians and FNPs will also help staff the new offices. 

Details of the new OB services include: Lawrence County providers from the Southern Indiana Community Health Care will offer local prenatal care for pregnant mothers. The women patients will then have the options to continue with a Southern Indiana Community Health Care provider and deliver their baby at the nearby IU Health hospital in Paoli, or they have an option to be transferred to an IU Health Bloomington or a Schneck provider in Seymour (or elsewhere) for delivery there, explained Yolanda Yoder, MD, Chief Medical Officer at Southern Indiana Community Health. 

If patients opt to deliver in Bloomington or elsewhere, they will have the option to return and see Southern Indiana Community providers locally for postpartum and well-baby and well-mother services.

Comprehensive services at the new Lawrence County facilities of Southern Indiana Community will include whole family primary care. Providers in both Bedford and Mitchell will offer traditional family-focused health care services, including addressing multiple health challenges, chronic and long-term disease care, diabetes and heart disease issues, treatment and care of injuries, and a broad range of other health care services.

Former Dunn Hospital patients who decide to continue medical care locally with Southern Indiana Community Health Care will need to complete a medical care records release. A copy of the form and details on how to submit it are available online at https://sichc.org/new-patient-transition-letter/. The online information also details which providers will serve at each office.

“We at Southern Indiana Community Health Care represent an independent and dedicated team focused on local community health care needs, and the flexibility of our independent status allows additional potential advantages in terms of insurance networks and unique services,” said Dr. Yoder. 

As it nears its 50th anniversary of operations Southern Indiana Community Health Care holds a long tradition of positively collaborating with other health care institutions to promote and deliver high-quality care. For example, Southern Indiana Community physicians hold hospital privileges and regularly deliver babies with the OB team at IU Health Paoli, a facility that was nationally named one of three Indiana hospitals as high performing in maternity care by U.S. News and World Report. 

“Former Ascension patients may also appreciate the fact that our new expansion will be driven by the established vision of Southern Indiana Community Health Care, which includes a spiritual dimension,” said Radcliff. “Rooted in our faith-driven values, Southern Indiana Community Health Care serves as a pillar for accessible, comprehensive care of the whole person through collaboration with all community partners.”

“The teachings and life of Jesus as we know him in the Bible are of utmost importance in our decision-making,” she noted.

As a certified Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), Southern Indiana Community Health Care focuses on ensuring healthcare access to all, regardless of their ability to pay. This includes services made possible through Medicare and Medicaid.

In addition to supporting OB and family primary care services in Lawrence County, Southern Indiana Community Health Care plans to increase the availability of additional services like behavioral and mental health during 2023. 

 

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About Southern Indiana Community Health Care – Well-known as a high-impact health care provider committed to continuity of care, the nonprofit Southern Indiana Community Health Care organization is committed to providing high-quality, comprehensive, community-sensitive health care utilizing Christ-centered principles to medically underserved, rural communities. As a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), Southern Indiana Community Health Care serves as a “safety net” provider for vulnerable populations and focuses on increasing access to primary care services for Medicaid and Medicare patients in rural communities. Southern Indiana Community Health Care offers medical care in medically underserved areas of Crawford, Lawrence, Martin, Orange, and Washington counties. Southern Indiana Community Health is a member of the National Health Services Corps and receives program funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Southern Indiana Community Health Care offers services to all persons, regardless of the person’s ability to pay. For more information, please visit https://sichc.org/