May 25—JEFFERSONVILLE — Clark Memorial Health (CMH) announced Tuesday a collaboration with Norton Healthcare and LifePoint Health to bring a free-standing emergency department, imaging center and medical office building to Southern Indiana. The new facility will be located off Indiana 62 in Jeffersonville, near Interstate 265 and the 6,000-acre River Ridge Commerce Center/Industrial Park.
"This is truly an exciting time for Clark Memorial Health, the community and the entire region we serve. The expansion of our emergency department and other outpatient services demonstrates our commitment to investing in the hospital to enhance services and meet the needs of our growing community for generations to come," Martin Padgett, Clark Memorial Health CEO said.
"We are excited to continue to grow our services in Southern Indiana," stated Russell F. Cox, president and chief executive officer of Norton Healthcare.
The new center will care for people of all ages, providing emergency care, imaging services, basic wellness services, aesthetic services, and behavioral health services. It will be the only facility providing this level of emergency services in an ambulatory setting in Southern Indiana.
"The imaging center will provide convenient access for patients wishing to receive services outside of the traditional hospital setting," said Ruth Schmidt, CMH chief operating officer. "Additionally, the primary care clinic will provide a needed employer-based clinic model for the surrounding businesses."
The new outpatient facility will have 6 emergency exam rooms, a trauma room, CT scanner and a lab. The freestanding emergency department will be open 24 hours per day, 7 days a week, with no appointment necessary.
The imaging center's hours of operation will be 8 hours a day, Monday through Friday, and will provide X-ray, CT, MRI, ultrasound, screening mammography, DEXA scans and echo.
"We believe this new facility will provide easier and quicker access for patients, along with the convenience of multiple services in the same location," said Klaus Boel, MD, Clark Memorial Health chief medical officer. "They will be able to receive a higher level of care than they would at an urgent care, but without the congestion of a busy hospital emergency department."
Additionally, the facility will house three separate suites for the primary care, behavioral health services and medi-spa. The physician clinic and medi-spa will be managed by Clark Medical Group (CMG). This practice will also focus on partnering with businesses in the area by offering an employer-based clinic model in addition to seeing patients within a traditional practice model.
"Expanding access to care for our patients is critically important, and this project is another example of our continued investment in the Southern Indiana communities we serve," emphasized Cherie Sibley, FACHE, president of LifePoint's central division, of which CMH is a part. "We look forward to making high-quality emergency services more convenient and accessible for our patients as we work collaboratively to bring a diverse range of outpatient services to this new facility in Jeffersonville."
The behavioral health service line will be an extension of CMH's current services and will be accessible 8 hours a day, Monday through Friday, with a licensed therapist. Services will include individual counseling and group counseling in an intensive outpatient setting.
The medi-spa will be open 8 hours a day, Monday through Friday, with an advanced practice provider performing services and overseeing the medical estheticians. The initial services offered will include sclerotherapy vein procedures, cool sculpting, weight management programs, chemical peel/microdermabrasion, dermabrasion, electrolysis/laser hair removal, salabrasion/laser tattoo removal and filler/collagen injections.
Padgett said the initiative is "the right thing to do in terms of taking our product, our service out to the community and [meeting] them where they live and work," he said.
The facility is expected to open in 2022.
