Daviess Community Hospital accepting patients at new clinic in Jasper
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Washington-based Daviess Community Hospital is now accepting patients at its new clinic in Dubois County. The multispecialty facility in Jasper provides comprehensive health care through primary care, urology, general surgery and laboratory services.
“DCH wants to offer those who live and work in the Jasper area a choice—high-quality, accessible health care right here,” Tracy Conroy, the hospital’s CEO, said in a news release.
The Jasper clinic opened its doors at 4115 Mannheim Rd. in October. Dr. Anna Lamb provides primary care while Dr. Kris Gunn sees urology patients. Dr. Marcus Kurucz and Dr. Megan Stevenson work at the facility as general surgeons.
“These providers that we have in the clinic are integrated into the community,” said Elizabeth Truelove, DCH’s executive director of physician and clinic operations. “They are all from the Jasper area. This allows for a deeper connection with patients and a stronger understanding of their health care needs.”
The opening of the Jasper facilty is part of DCH’s ongoing commitment to expanding health care services in the area and enhancing patient outcomes.
“We have had a great response,” Truelove said. “Our providers are seeing several patients a day, and we’re looking forward to the continued growth.”
“We’re also seeing more referrals from local providers in Jasper that maybe weren’t sending us as many patients up to Washington because their patients probably didn’t want to travel,” added Stevenson.
‘The opportunity is here’
DCH, an affiliate of Ascension St. Vincent, operates several medical facilities that offer a variety of services in Washington, Loogootee and Odon. Before the Jasper clinic opened, Truelove said many Dubois County patients were already coming to the hospital for health care.
“We’re excited about the opportunity to improve that access and allow patients to be seen close to home with convenience and timeliness,” she said.
The city of Jasper has also significantly increased its population over the last several years and continues to grow at a rate of 0.15% annually.
“At one time, Jasper was a town of 10,000, and now we’ve grown to about 17,000,” said Nancy Eckerle, director of the Jasper Chamber of Commerce in a news release. “The growth is here, and the opportunity is here. Thank you, Daviess Community Hospital, for locating here.”
“That growth leads to an increased demand for accessible, high quality health care services,” added Truelove. “We wanted to do what we could to help meet the needs of the community.”
Truvelove said the challenges of opening the Jasper clinic were typical of expanding health care services in general.
“What is the right location? What services are going to be a benefit of the residents there and of the surrounding counties? Taking a look at all of that and trying to determine what would best to serve the community,” she said.
Kurucz acknowledged the physicians and staff are still working to get acclimated to their new surroundings.
“The things that [the staff is] getting comfortable with and what we can do there are increasing. We’re working out some of the IT issues and the scheduling stuff,” he said. “When you open anything, there’s some confusion, things that arise. All those kinks are getting ironed out.”
DCH clinic services
Lamb offers primary care at the DCH Clinic of Jasper. Services include routine checkups and physical exams, immunizations and vaccinations, chronic disease management and preventative care and wellness.
“For people to be seen as a new patient is somewhat of a difficult commodity,” said Kurucz. “There are not a lot of family practitioners who are taking new patients, and Anna Lamb is there and seeing patients.”
Gunn was already providing urology care for conditions such as urological cancer, bladder control issues and kidney stones at another Jasper location before moving into the new clinic and increasing his availability.
“Gunn saw patients there a few Fridays each month in Jasper, and now he is seeing patients Wednesday afternoons and all day on Friday,” said Truelove.
Kurucz and Stevenson perform minor procedures such as removing skin lesions and port catheters that don’t require anesthesia at the clinic. However, even if a patient must travel to DCH in Washington for surgery, they can still get related services in Jasper.
“Patients are happy to be able to get their pre-operative care and their post-operative care five minutes from home and only have to drive for surgery just once,” Stevenson said.
The clinic’s laboratory is equipped to perform a variety of diagnostic tests, including blood work, urinalysis, microbiology cultures, pathology tests and toxicology.
“The on-site labs, diagnostic testing can be done quickly and easily, and this accelerates the treatment decisions and contributes to the overall better health outcomes,” said Truelove.
Patient benefits
Stevenson believes residents in Dubois County and surrounding areas having timely access to health care services in Jasper is a primary benefit of the DCH expansion.
“There’s not a long wait to get in to see us or primary care. We’re very flexible with our scheduling,” she said. “People who need an operation can see the surgeon and get an operation in pretty expedited fashion.”
Truelove said the proximity of the clinic to patients in the Jasper region provides specialized care with a personal touch.
“These services that we’re offering are essential components of health care,” Truelove said. “It reduces the need for residents to travel for these services outside of that Jasper community. They’re able to get them right there.”
Kurucz and Stevenson emphasized a sense of accountability for the physicians since they live and work in the area.
“We have chosen to spend our lives in this community, and we see our patients at the grocery stores and all around town,” said Stevenson. “I can do someone’s breast cancer surgery, and then maybe in a couple years, they need their gallbladder out, and they know that their surgeon, who they liked the first time, is still here and available. People love that.”
DCH’s Jasper clinic is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Eastern Time) Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday. The facility closes for lunch from 12 p.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. For an appointment, call 812-254-2762.