Nationwide Children’s Hospital’s Close to Home Center located in the OhioHealth O’Bleness medical office building opened Oct. 28.
The Close to Home Center provides ten service lines: cardiology; ear, nose and throat; center for family, safety and healing; center for healthy weight and nutrition; occupational speech and physical therapy; pulmonary; urology; pediatric surgery; genetics; and gastrointestinal.
Carla Cooper, site director for the Athens Close to Home Center, said Nationwide Children’s Hospital decided to expand to Athens with the Close to Home Center to serve more people.
“To bring care close to homes in this area means a lot to us,” Cooper said. “The partnership that we have with OhioHealth really brought everything together in a way that just gives back to the community in such a positive way.”
Cooper said the cost to open the center was roughly $1.4 million, not including some IT and operational expenses.
The Close to Home Center also offers nurse-guided telehealth visits.
Cooper said patients won’t have to worry about having internet access or knowledge of technology as everything will be taken care of at the center. A nurse will come and take the patient’s weight and vitals, answer any questions and connect the patient to a care provider at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus.
On the clinical therapies side of operations, there is a treatment room with toys and other materials to help guide therapy sessions and two areas for physical and occupational therapy patients with crash pits, swings and other large toys.
“We do have several different models for all of the clinics,” Cooper said. “It’s just really unique.”
LeeAnn Lucas-Helber, president of OhioHealth O’Bleness Hospital, said OhioHealth is excited to work with Nationwide Children’s Hospital to expand its services for children and families in the area.
“The collaboration is a testament to our shared dedication to providing top-notch care for the children in our community,” Lucas-Helber wrote in an email. “While OhioHealth’s main focus is on care for adults, this arrangement continues to foster the strong foundation that we have built with Nationwide Children’s and leverages their pediatric expertise.”
Emily Rose, a junior studying nursing, said having the Close to Home Center in Athens is nice because people don’t have to go all the way to Columbus for pediatric care.
Rose said having the center here is nice when it comes to her nursing classes, as well.
“Next year I’ll have to take (pediatrics), and then that’ll be helpful having it a little bit closer and having more opportunities for us to go and hang out with them,” Rose said.
Lucas-Helber said the partnership between OhioHealth and Nationwide Children’s Hospital has been beneficial, positioning both sides for long-term success.
“The process has been highly collaborative and reflective of the long-standing relationship between OhioHealth and Nationwide Children’s Hospital,” Lucas-Helber wrote in an email.
Cooper said the center’s opening has been very exciting thus far.
“The feedback has been awesome,” Cooper said. “It's going, honestly, great. I can’t say that enough and how excited we are to be here.”
The Close to Home Center operates by appointment only. Appointments can be made online.
