By David Slone
Times-Union
WARSAW — Bowen Center is in the process of relocating and updating all of its clinics in its five core counties.
On Thursday morning, a groundbreaking ceremony took place for Bowen Health Clinic at 901 Anchorage Point Drive, Warsaw. The clinic currently is on North Harrison Street.
Michael Murphy, Bowen Health Clinic senior director of Kosciusko County, said the Bowen Health Clinic is expected to be completed in late summer 2025.
“This will house all of the services in Kosciusko County, and it’s just an excellent project that we are super excited about,” he said before thanking two groups of people.
“One is our community partners. A lot of you showed up for us today, and that is just awesome. We could not do this without you. We love the support that we get in Kosciusko County from you, and it makes a world of difference,” Murphy said. “And then the other is our patients. Our patients trust us with our healthcare each and every day, and we are honored and privileged to serve them in this way.”
Bowen Center President and CEO Dr. Rob Ryan said there’s a special bond between Bowen Center and its core counties of Huntington, Kosciusko, Marshall, Wabash and Whitley.
“We are in the process of relocating and updating all of our clinics in these counties, but having our corporate headquarters here in Kosciusko County – the center of what we do – means we have big plans for Kosciusko County,” he stated.
Ryan listed three main priorities as to why Bowen is building new facilities and moving locations.
“It’s about our communities, our staff and our patients,” he said.
Kosciusko County takes pride in being the “orthopedic capital of the world,” Ryan said, and so much feeds off that industry.
“It raises the standards and expectations of all of us to take pride in our efforts. This building is a space that we as a community will be able to be proud of,” he said.
They’re also changing their building for their staff.
“For a while now, you’ve been hearing that Bowen Center is more than just mental health, we’re integrative care. Care for the mind and the body. With the addition of physical health, we needed a specialized place to meet the needs of these providers, and a strong refresh for all of our mental health providers. This building honors our providers as the professionals they are, with a great space, designed to promote collaboration across the specialties for the benefit of our patients,” Ryan stated.
Bowen is here for the patients, he continued. “Bowen stands in a unique space when it comes to who we target as our patients. Mental illness can be such an isolating disease. It impacts the social and emotional wellness of not just the patient, but the families who are struggling to understand and help. This upgrade of our buildings, moving them to a prominent place, is for our patients – to show them that they are not alone and there really is someone here to help.”
In the coming months, he said there will be a digital sign put up on the property. Ryan sees it as a beacon of hope.
“A sign that will proclaim patients’ victories over addiction, depression and anxiety. It will share the celebrations of families reunited and couples who saved their relationships. It’ll stand for children who once struggled with friendships, anxiety and getting along with others, to a person who now talks about their future with options,” Ryan said.
The upgrade to the buildings is not a signal that Bowen is changing who its focus is, he said.
“While we want this building to represent help for everyone, Bowen is the safety net provider who is here regardless of a patient’s ability to pay,” Ryan said. “Bowen Center is your community mental health center and that means if you need us but you have no insurance, you have no money, you have no way to find a provider who takes Medicaid, you have no hope, you have hope in Bowen Center. We’re here for you, and when you are finished, you won’t be saddled with a bill you can’t pay. Bowen Center is moving here to U.S. 30 for our community, our staff and for our patients.”
Kosciusko County Sheriff Jim Smith, a Bowen Center Board of Directors member, said being a lifelong resident of the county, he’s seen businesses and organizations come and go.
“Bowen is one of those, as a young child here I remember being established here in Kosciusko County, and here they are today, and I couldn’t be more proud of their growth,” he said. “… These things don’t just happen. You’ve got to have the right leaders in place. First of all, to have their ear to the ground and identify those needs of the community. And I think they’ve done just that. They’ve established a vision, put goals in place to get that vision done and here we are today.”
Jay Baumgartner, Bowen Center chief financial officer, has worked at Bowen for 33 years.
“I’ve dedicated my career to Bowen Center for our patients. They’re the reason that I’m here, and I’ve seen a lot of change over the years with Bowen Center. We went from 100 employees to over 1,100 employees today. We were only serving about 5,000 patients when I started to over 30,000 patients served throughout our Bowen Center locations. But through it all, Kosciusko County has always been the heart of our organization,” he stated.
Bowen is proud to invest over $10 million in the new facility, Baumgartner said. “Because our patients deserve a state-of-the-art facility where they can get their mental health, substance abuse, psychiatric care, primary care, dental and pharmacy all in one location.”
Cindy Brady, Bowen Center Board of Directors member, said, “We are standing here in this beautiful day, beautiful location to celebrate something that is so exciting. As a lifelong member of Kosciusko County, and an educator, I understand how much this impacts the people in our community, and I can not tell you how exciting it is to be able to not only serve those individuals, but also to be able to celebrate with our patients, our staff.”
She encouraged everyone to remember that “we are all in this together.”
K21 Health Foundation President and CEO Rich Haddad stated, “This is a huge day to celebrate with Bowen because what they’re bringing to this community advances our mission. So we can partner celebrate and run alongside them cheerleading the work that they’re doing.”
He said the commitment that Bowen is making to the community is “absolutely amazing, but it really reiterates that this is their home, and Kosciusko County means so much to them.”
One of the biggest gaps of healthcare in the community has been a home for those who can’t afford it, who can’t get to it and who may be afraid that if they show up, it may financially devastate their lives, Haddad said.
“So to have a home that is welcoming for all at any level of economic status, is an enormous step forward for Kosciusko County and every person that lives here,” Haddad said. “So improving access, improving affordability, improving the ability to navigate their lives that often have very little margin to have a home. I’m especially excited that this facility will provide a dental home for so many that don’t have one. And the opportunity to provide preventative dental care, not just emergent pain management, that is going to be an enormous add and win to our county.”
Ryan said dental care is not just about dignity – the idea that everyone should have a smile to greet others and be confident – but dental care is also very closely related to overall health.
Bowen Center Board of Directors member Roxanne Gonzales, who also is the English Language Learners director for Wawasee School Corporation, said, “I am honored to stand here today at our groundbreaking, not only representing our board, but also as a representative of the people we strive to serve every day. Today is an exciting day as everyone can certainly feel.”
Shannon Hannon, Bowen Center’s chief operating officer, gave a shoutout to Bowen’s new neighbors, Goodwill Industries and Aegis Dental.
“Together we will continue to partner with partners like Aegis Dental to expand access to dental care for patients in this community, regardless of their ability to pay,” she said. “As we look into the future for Kosciusko County, it’s really bright. We’re excited for all of the opportunities, not just this building, but the service this provides to members of this community.”
She said the building will not only transform the landscape, but will also expand Bowen’s scope of services to meet the needs that members of the community specifically asked for – “robust mental health care, high-quality primary care and now dental services.”
In an interview after the ceremony, Hannon said Bowen is moving the clinic to make sure it’s accessible to more patients in the county. “Additionally, to be able to provide our expanded scope of services, we needed a physical plant that would allow for the expansion to include robust primary care as well as dental services,” she said.
As far as the old building, Hannon said they haven’t decided what they’re going to do with that yet.
“We’ve got some partners who may be interested in using the building, and we may be able to leave some services at that location to provide multiple access points for our services,” she said.
The new building will be 18,000 square feet. Hannon said it will house dental services, primary care, psychiatric, substance use and mental health services, as well as pharmacy.
There will be four to five medical staff at the facility, a dental provider, as well as three to four dental hygienists. There will be 10-12 licensed therapists, as well as all the support staff that go along with that.
“Of that $10 million investment, about $1 million of it will be in dental services alone,” Hannon said.
It’ll be the first location where Bowen will provide dental services, and she said it comes from the community saying dental services continue to be a gap in care.
