State lawmakers commend practice for service to Near East Columbus community
Ohio State Total Health and Wellness, the nurse practitioner-led primary care practice hosted by The Ohio State University College of Nursing, today concluded a month-long celebration of its 10th anniversary with special presentations by state lawmakers.
State Rep. Dontavius L. Jarrells (D – 1st District) and State Sen. Hearcel F. Craig (D – 15th District) – both of whom represent the neighborhood around The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center East Hospital, where Total Health and Wellness is located – presented Total Health and Wellness with legislative commendations praising the impact that the practice has had on the community.
Rep. Jarrells’s commendation said, in part, that Total Health and Wellness “has proven itself to be an invaluable resource” to the community and that its “inter-professional team approach to integrated physical and mental healthcare is a justifiable source of pride and an outstanding reflection on the practice … These diligent people have provided unparalleled care that has earned them the esteem of Columbus’ Near East Side neighborhood and the surrounding communities.”
Sen. Craig’s citation said that, over the past ten years, “this outstanding program has expanded to provide historically underserved patients of all ages with an inter-professional team and integrated physical and mental health services. Thanks to the venerable and expert work of the care team, East Side residents have unparalleled access to the utmost state-of-the-art care to bridge the gap in health care access. Without the critical services like health and wellness education, mental health counseling and screenings that this practice provides, countless individuals and families would have insufficient access to the care needed to live healthy and prosperous lives.”
“We could not be more proud of or more grateful for the clinicians and partners who have helped build Total Health and Wellness into the trusted practice it is today,” said Karen Rose, PhD, RN, FGSA, FAAN, dean and professor at the College of Nursing. “They demonstrate every day how answering the calling to care can impact not just individual patients, but an entire community that counts on them to manage chronic conditions, help their children grow up healthy and respond to the existential healthcare challenges of the day. We are so excited about what the future holds for this extraordinary practice.”
Total Health and Wellness engages a care team of clinicians from a broad array of disciplines, including family nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwifes, psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners and mental health counselors, pharmacists, dietitians, community health workers and health science students. In 2019, Total Health and Wellness received the designation as a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), one of only a few FQHCs led by nursing colleges in the country.
“Our first decade of service has been transformative for us in so many different and life-changing ways,” said Candy Rinehart, DNP, APRN-CNP, FAANP, chief executive officer of Total Health and Wellness. “When we started this practice, our dream was to show how a nurse practitioner-led, interdisciplinary, comprehensive care model could positively affect health outcomes in patients throughout the community. Our experience has been so much deeper than just that dream.
“Becoming an FQHC entrenched us as a primary option for our community. Incorporating telehealth as a connection path during the COVID-19 pandemic helped us broaden our access and impact, especially at a time when people really needed our support. And now, as we look at growth opportunities to extend our reach, we lean on the lessons we’ve learned, the relationships we’ve created and the trust we’ve built to help even more people and families live better, healthier lives.”
