Impact Stories

About Hopewell Health Centers

Hopewell Health Centers, Inc. (Hopewell) provides access to affordable, high quality integrated healthcare for all. Designated as a Federally Qualified Health Center, Hopewell provides comprehensive health services throughout southeastern Ohio, regardless of a patient’s ability to pay.

Hopewell was formed in July 2013 when Family Healthcare, Inc. and Tri-County Mental Health and Counseling Services, Inc. merged to create an integrated healthcare organization. Prior to the merger, the Osteopathic Heritage Foundations (the Foundations) supported both organizations, dating back to 2002. Today, Hopewell operates clinics throughout southeastern Ohio and provides supportive services, such as early childhood programs and school-based behavioral health outreach, to additional partners in the region. In several southeastern Ohio counties Hopewell is one of few healthcare providers.

A constant focus for us is on developing innovative solutions to fill healthcare gaps in the communities we serve. With support from the Osteopathic Heritage Foundations, we have been able to significantly increase the services provided to improve health outcomes for vulnerable populations in southeastern Ohio.

Mark Bridenbaugh, Hopewell Health Centers’ CEO

Foundation Support for Hopewell Health Centers

Increasing access to primary, oral and behavioral healthcare services among vulnerable populations is central to the mission of the Foundations, and Hopewell has served as a valued partner in advancing these goals. The Foundations, directly and through funding partnerships, have supported Hopewell to expand and enhance their vital health services in underserved communities in southeastern Ohio for over a decade.

Oral health remains a significant unmet healthcare need in Ohio, especially Appalachia Ohio, and improving access is a funding priority for the Foundations. To date, the Foundations have directed over $4.2 million to effective strategies to improve access to oral healthcare, including case management, dental safety net and loan repayment programs, as well as oral health education and training programs.

In 2018, the Foundations partnered with Hopewell to create a new, comprehensive dental safety net clinic in Nelsonville, Ohio. The Foundations approved $639,000 for the new dental access point located in the repurposed facility known as the Mary Hill Center, formerly Doctors Hospital of Nelsonville. Opened in 2019, the new facility houses 12 dental operatories and serves residents from throughout southeastern Ohio. When fully operational, the clinic is expected to serve 3,000 dental patients annually and provide 14 new professional jobs in the region.

The clinic has also been generously supported by other local partners including the Finance Fund Capital Corporation and Sisters Health Foundation. Local investments leveraged additional grant funding for the clinic through the national Community Development Financial Institutions Fund.

In addition to oral healthcare service delivery, Hopewell has been a leader in integrating primary care and behavioral health services to better serve their patients. Through a funding partnership, the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation of Nelsonville (OHFN) and the Athens Hocking Vinton Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board (317 Board) jointly supported Hopewell’s implementation of the Cherokee Health System Model for Integrated Care, incorporating behavioral health consultants at all primary care sites. Through this integrated healthcare model, Hopewell was able to decrease wait time for psychiatric services by more than 90%. Funding through the OHFN-317 Board partnership also allowed Hopewell to digitize all patient records allowing information to be shared between providers, ensuring patient care is informed and optimized by both behavioral health and primary care practitioners.

hopewellhealth.org
1049 Western Avenue, P.O. Box 188
Chillicothe, OH 45601
(800) 686-4366

317 Board

The Athens Hocking Vinton Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board (317 Board) is part of Ohio’s county and regional network of agencies responsible for planning, developing, funding and evaluating a community-based system of care for individuals in need of behavioral health and substance use disorder services.

Appalachia Accessible Food Network

In 2013, the Appalachia Accessible Food Network (AAFN) was created to expand and diversify coordinated efforts to measurably increase the availability, affordability and consumption of healthy food among low-income, vulnerable populations in southeastern Ohio.