IU Health Bedford working to meet the higher demands for Healthcare needs in Lawrenc County

LAWRENCE COUNTY - FEBRUARY 4, 2023 - With the closure of St. Vincent Dunn Hospital the demand for health care services has impacted IU Health Bedford Hospital.

Shawna Girgis Program Director and Communications and Outreach

Shawna Girgis, Program Director, Communications and Outreach updated the community at the Stakeholders meeting earlier last week on how IU Health Bedford is responding to those demands.

Sundays at the IU Health Walk-In Clinic have been added to take the pressure off the IU Health Bedford Emergency Department

" IU Health has seen an increase in demand, particularly in our emergency room. We have been very busy ramping up the services there and First Care. In addition to Emergency Room and our team we have added additional Walk-In Clinic hours on Sunday. This is to help with the pressure on the emergency room," said Girgis.

Photo - The services provided at the Dunn Plaza will eventually be handled by Indiana Health Centers with operations opening sometime in February or March. The locations of those operations have not yet been disclosed

" Outside of the emergency department it is more affordable, much quicker. IU Health has seen a 17 percent increase in the walk-in clinic as those changes have occurred,"

" We are very proud to partner with SICHC, they have opened up a temporary site with many of the providers of the Accession and St. Vincent who mainly focused on primary care, but also OB/GYN care," Girgis added.

SICHC will eventually open in the Lincoln Plaza - Lincon Plaza Pharmacy will be moving down from its current location in the plaza

The permanent site will be located in the 700 block of Lincoln Avenue in the Lincoln Plaza.

In addition, Indiana Health Centers, which is federally qualified, they receive a special kind funding to meet the high demands like in a community like ours. The Indiana Health Centers will be taking over the WIC Clinics and those services that was originally operating at the Dunn Plaza. In addition, Indiana Health Centers will be adding additional primary care providers there as well. Those services will be opening sometime in February and March.

Some of the questions that are on minds of Lawrence County residents' minds is deliveries of children. IU Health Bedford Hospital has not done deliveries at the hospital for a long time.

Lawrence County residents can choose IU Health Paoli or IU Health Bloomington or a healthcare provider they choose.

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