Newscaster, author, and Warren Central grad Jane Pauley came back to her old stomping grounds to cut the ribbon on a new site of the Jane Pauley Community Health facility at 5317 E. 16th St. In her remarks before the ceremony, she noted that 16th Street was rich in memories for her — “heading east, my father took me to the Buick dealership on Shadeland to buy my first car.” She also told of when her father was unconscious in Community East — “it was just Community Hospital then” — with a serious illness. When he woke up, he told her, “there was an angel here.”
Approached in 2009 to help spearhead community health clinics on the east side, Pauley jumped in with both feet. The first clinic opened and served 1,500 patients in the first few months. Now, Jane Pauley Community Health Centers can be found in twelve locations, many of them schools in the MSD Warren Township system. Last year, the centers served 30,000 patients. The new site is right next door to Community Hospital East, and will be open from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. at first, with expanded hours to come in the near future.
The center offers primary health care services, including preventive and annual exams, well-child care, acute care and certain procedures. The center also focuses on the management of chronic diseases, such as diabetes, cardiac disease and depression.
Dr. John Fleming, Medical Director for the Center, said that it was exciting to see this open. With twelve exam rooms, space for social workers and psychologists, the new center would “bring integrated care to patients in the East Region. It will serve as a medical home to underinsured and uninsured patients.”
Patients at the Jane Pauley Community Health Center will be able to make appointments and get immediate care, helping to divert people away from using the emergency room for non-emergency conditions. In addition, patients with psychiatric needs will be able to get help with prescriptions and therapy on site. There is a social worker available to help patients get to resources they may not be able to get on their own.
Situated next to Community Hospital East means patients with urgent needs can be easily transported to the hospital without delay.
The Jane Pauley Community Health Center can be reached by phone at 317-355-9320 for appointments or referral to the closest site. Visit janepauleychc.com for more information.
