Tuesday, April 20, 2021
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Serving Elkhart County and parts of Noble, LaGrange & Marshall Counties Know Your Neighbor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2➤ Speak Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Good Neighbors . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Vol. 49 No. 2
Goshen (574) 534-2591
134 S. Main, Goshen, Indiana 46526
moves into new, larger space %\ /$85(1 =(8*1(5 (1 =(8*1(5 (G $VVRFLDWH (GLWRU There are still a few minor touch ups needed such as carpet to be replaced, art and awards to be hung and signage out front. But for the most part the Center of Healing & Hope has settled into its new location, 400 W. Lincoln Ave. in Goshen, and is seeing patients. CHH took possession of the building April 1 and was open to seeing patients April 12. CHH grew out of St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church as a parish nurse program offering urgent care. After being located in several locations around Goshen, CHH found a home at Plymouth United Church of Christ, where the clinic took up the church basement with administrative offices located on the second floor. Plymouth United Church of Christ was home to CHH for 10 years. “We really felt they owned our mission with us,” said Missy Schrock, executive director of CHH. “With the pandemic we realized how limited we were,” Schrock said about their former home. “There weren’t sinks in the exam rooms for hand washing, they weren’t sound proof … It really brought to life that we couldn’t adequately serve our patients.” When the new building became available, “It was a leap of faith in a lot of ways,” Schrock said. “But it’s helping us get back to normal and may help us expand in the future.” The new location offers space for eight exam rooms and a procedure room where cyst removal and other more invasive type treatments can be done. There is a large waiting area that is bright, the reception area is large enough where staff and employees can safely social distance. There is a lab as well as a multipurpose room. Where CHH is seeing a decrease in space is in the administration areas. “Everyone is sharing space,” Schrock explained. Half the building has a second floor which provides storage space as well as private areas where someone who needs to have a private meeting either virtually or in person. The exam rooms are able to serve three to five providers while the multipurpose
*2,1* 29(5 $ &$6( ³ Ruth Kauffmann, left, a volunteer interpreter at The Center for Healing & Hope, chats with Dr. John Dick and Erin Cas-
5($'< )25 7+( 1(;7 3$7,(17 ³ Javier Lopez, a medical assistant at The Center for Healing and Hope preps an exam room for the next patient. The new clinic offers eight exam rooms and a procedure room. Photo by Lauren Zeugner. room can be used for everything from diabetes education to acupuncture. Schrock would also like to offer massage therapy at some point as well. CHH flourishes because of its volunteers. Schrock said right now because of COVID, about 150 volunteers have been helping in various capacities during the last nine months. Approximately 30 showed up to help move
tro, clinic manager. The Center for Healing and Hope recently moved into a larger building at 400 W. Lincoln. Photo by Lauren Zeugner.
&+(&.,1* /$% :25. ³ Erin Castro, clinic manager at The Center for Healing & Hope, checks the progress of samples in the A1-C machine in the clinic÷s new lab. Photo by Lauren Zeugner.
the clinic from the church to the new location where five or six help out daily in the clinic. The majority of volunteers have assisted at the COVID testing site, which recently moved back to the parking lot of Plymouth United Church of Christ from Shanklin Park. “That was a wonderful partnership with the city,” Schrock said. She explained the testing site moved back to the church be-
cause the number of people coming to be tested has dropped and the park department wanted to ramp up its spring programs. “We would like to have more clinical volunteers, especially those who are bilingual and who are willing to learn the clinic’s electronic record keeping process.” The new clinic has the capacity to see about 100 patients a week, however, due to the pandemic,
only about 40 patients a week are currently being seen. Schrock said everyone is still figuring out the flow of the clinic’s new home. Along with Plymouth United Church of Christ, Schrock and the CHH board is very appreciative for the support the clinic has received from B+B Brothers Masonry, Snyder Paint, Goshen Noon Kiwanis, Midmark and McKesson and Premier Signs.