Bowen Center Has Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony For New Health Clinic
October 21, 2020 at 2:01 a.m.
Bowen Center Has Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony For New Health Clinic
By Amanda Bridgman-
Bowen Center President and CEO Kurt Carlson touted the new clinic as a resource for the entire community.
The clinic is a first for Bowen Center and adjacent to its mental health outpatient office. The clinic treats children and adults and can provide regular wellness checks, same-day sick visits, physicals, vaccinations, treatment planning, systems assessment, progress reviews and specialty referrals. It accepts all insurance plans, including Medicare and Medicaid and uses a sliding fee discount scale for patients that pay privately.
The clinic has a total of eight exam rooms, with four currently being used by nurse practitioner Katie Leckrone and behavioral health consultant Karen Trujillo.
The Bowen Center is promoting their integrated care model, where patients who come to see their regular doctor for any reason can also receive mental health treatment at no extra cost.
Siquilla Liebetrau, clinical director, explained that if a patient comes in for a regular checkup and says they’ve been feeling stressed out lately, they can walk around the corner to the serene behavioral health office and talk with someone about it and get help right then and there, for free.
“It’s just part of what we do,” Liebetrau said. “That’s because we believe in our mission: Mental health is part of physical health. We’re treating the whole person.”
In the same parking lot, the Bowen Center opened a free COVID-19 testing site in partnership with the Indiana State Department of Health and the Kosciusko County Health Department. That drive-thru site opened last Thursday and has already had more than 500 people come through. No insurance is required, no appointment is needed and anyone age 2 and up can get tested.
The testing site is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday and Friday; and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.
County Health Officer Dr. William Remington Tuesday said this clinic has been a community need for a long time but it’s a hard feat to pull off.
“And here comes Kurt,” Remington said. “You have to have leadership like Kurt to pull it out from the vapors and pull it off.”
Remington compared the clinic’s opening to that of an acorn turning into an oak tree, setting deep roots and growing.
“This will be an asset of durability for this community,” Remington said.
Warsaw Mayor Joe Thallemer Tuesday called the clinic a blessing and huge asset to the community by improving acess and care with the integrated care model. Thallemer said having the clinic open shows the commitment the Bowen Center has to community care.
Dan Woods, who has been serving on the Bowen Center’s board of directors the longest, said the staff really stepped up to make this a reality.
“The best part of this is the board was really excited when it was brought before us,” Woods said. “We are really looking forward to growing this, not only for our clients but the community.”
Carlson became the president and CEO of Bowen Center in 1989 when the company was “a small, little bankrupt organization,” he said. It took a couple years to turn it around, but 30 years later here they are.
Carlson will be stepping aside from his position in 2022, but he won’t be retiring, he said.
“Hopefully, I can continue to contribute to the Bowen Center,” he said.
The clinic is open 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, and walk-in appointments are welcome. The clinic can be reached at 574-371-9550.
Bowen Center President and CEO Kurt Carlson touted the new clinic as a resource for the entire community.
The clinic is a first for Bowen Center and adjacent to its mental health outpatient office. The clinic treats children and adults and can provide regular wellness checks, same-day sick visits, physicals, vaccinations, treatment planning, systems assessment, progress reviews and specialty referrals. It accepts all insurance plans, including Medicare and Medicaid and uses a sliding fee discount scale for patients that pay privately.
The clinic has a total of eight exam rooms, with four currently being used by nurse practitioner Katie Leckrone and behavioral health consultant Karen Trujillo.
The Bowen Center is promoting their integrated care model, where patients who come to see their regular doctor for any reason can also receive mental health treatment at no extra cost.
Siquilla Liebetrau, clinical director, explained that if a patient comes in for a regular checkup and says they’ve been feeling stressed out lately, they can walk around the corner to the serene behavioral health office and talk with someone about it and get help right then and there, for free.
“It’s just part of what we do,” Liebetrau said. “That’s because we believe in our mission: Mental health is part of physical health. We’re treating the whole person.”
In the same parking lot, the Bowen Center opened a free COVID-19 testing site in partnership with the Indiana State Department of Health and the Kosciusko County Health Department. That drive-thru site opened last Thursday and has already had more than 500 people come through. No insurance is required, no appointment is needed and anyone age 2 and up can get tested.
The testing site is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday and Friday; and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.
County Health Officer Dr. William Remington Tuesday said this clinic has been a community need for a long time but it’s a hard feat to pull off.
“And here comes Kurt,” Remington said. “You have to have leadership like Kurt to pull it out from the vapors and pull it off.”
Remington compared the clinic’s opening to that of an acorn turning into an oak tree, setting deep roots and growing.
“This will be an asset of durability for this community,” Remington said.
Warsaw Mayor Joe Thallemer Tuesday called the clinic a blessing and huge asset to the community by improving acess and care with the integrated care model. Thallemer said having the clinic open shows the commitment the Bowen Center has to community care.
Dan Woods, who has been serving on the Bowen Center’s board of directors the longest, said the staff really stepped up to make this a reality.
“The best part of this is the board was really excited when it was brought before us,” Woods said. “We are really looking forward to growing this, not only for our clients but the community.”
Carlson became the president and CEO of Bowen Center in 1989 when the company was “a small, little bankrupt organization,” he said. It took a couple years to turn it around, but 30 years later here they are.
Carlson will be stepping aside from his position in 2022, but he won’t be retiring, he said.
“Hopefully, I can continue to contribute to the Bowen Center,” he said.
The clinic is open 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, and walk-in appointments are welcome. The clinic can be reached at 574-371-9550.
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