CHP Metropolitan Health Center celebrates first year
Last fall, Capital Health Plan opened the doors of its new Metropolitan Health Center. The innovative facility, located just off Thomasville Road near I-10, is CHP’s third major patient care facility and has made a significant impact on the local community during its inaugural year.
“Our vision for the Metro Center was that it would be a place where members of all ages could come and receive the quality care that CHP is known for,” said Dr. Krista Rankin, president of the CHP physician group. Dr. Rankin and other CHP physicians provide Urgent Care services at the Metro Center through both in person and telehealth visits. “Our highly distinguished network of physicians continues to go above and beyond for our patients.”
In addition to Urgent Care, the Center features something that is truly unique and special to the community: the Nancy Van Vessem, M.D., Center for Healthy Aging.
Named after the late Dr. Nancy Van Vessem, who served with distinction as CHP’s Chief Medical Officer for 14 years, the center offers specialized support with a large focus on age-friendly care for its senior members. The focus on healthy aging is especially critical in the Big Bend, where Census figures show an age 65+ population of approximately 61,000 local residents that is growing rapidly.
“The Nancy Van Vessem, M.D., Center for Healthy Aging is truly unique because of the specialized services it offers older adults in our community. It’s a fitting tribute to an incredible physician and the impact she had on her patients and the community,” said Dr. Lynn Jones, an internal medicine physician who oversees the center as CHP’s associate medical director.
“Inspired by Nancy’s dedication to the community, we saw a need for this type of service and created a facility that would be able to evolve to meet the needs of our members for many years to come.”
Dr. Jones believes that when it comes to health care, everyone is a member of the team. For its hard work and dedication, CHP was recognized as an Age-Friendly Health System — Committed to Care Excellence by the John A. Hartford Foundation and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, two leaders in health care quality, safety, and innovation. CHP focuses on the philosophies of this movement, which provides care for older adults based on four essential elements, called the 4Ms Framework.
- Understanding what MATTERS to the older adult
- Reducing or eliminating MEDICATIONS that are harmful, not helping, or no longer needed
- Focusing on MENTATION in order to prevent, identify, treat, and manage dementia and depression
- Ensuring that older adults have MOBILITY to move safely every day and prevent injuries
Joining Dr. Jones in serving patients at the Center for Healthy Aging are Dr. Cielo Rose, Dr. Mohamed M. Elrahman, and Dr. Suma S. Dondapati.
“To give back to my community by doing what I love has been nothing short of amazing,” said Dr. Rose, a CHP physician with a specialty in internal medicine. Her interests are complex patient management, diabetes treatment, preventive cardiology, women’s health, and geriatric care. “We have been able to change so many patients’ lives with this specialized center in such a short amount of time.”
Dr. Dondapati, an internal medicine physician at the Metropolitan Health Center location, encourages patients to take control of their health and be well-informed about the services available to them. “Out of my many years of working in this field, patient care remains my number one priority,” said Dondapati.
“Capital Health Plan has been providing quality care to patients for more than 38 years,” said Dr. Elrahman, an internal medicine physician. “The Metro Center hosts a wide array of services all under one roof with trusted local physicians.”
In addition to age-friendly primary care physician offices, the Center for Healthy Aging also offers a fall prevention clinic and a geriatric assessment clinic and includes a social worker on-staff to help connect patients and families to available community resources.
The Metro Center offers Urgent Care, Wound Care, imaging, lab services, and CHP’s Center for Complex Care, which treats patients with more serious and ongoing medical issues. CHP’s Metropolitan, Governor’s Square and Centerville health centers were all designed to serve CHP members and form the core of and extensive local network of over 600 area physicians and specialists in the community who work closely to maintain a high standard of care for members.
The Metropolitan Health Center enables CHP to continue supporting the health care needs of the local community far into the future, with a special focus on the senior population. It is one of the reasons CHP continues to be recognized on a national scale for its exceptional levels of customer service and quality care for members.
Based out of Tallahassee, CHP is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, an association of independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies. For more information, visit capitalhealth.com.
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