Expanding Community Care

Pictured above at the official ribbon cutting ceremony of the new dental clinic: Jay Anderson, Chief Operating Officer of The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center; Senator Stephanie Kunze, Candy Rinehart, Senator Hearcel Craig, Community Board President Linda Mauger, Dean Karen Rose.

by Melissa L. Weber

Total Health and Wellness, the nurse-practitioner led primary care practice at Ohio State East Hospital, is changing its name to reflect its expanding services and opening a dental clinic at its fourth and largest location. Now called The Ohio State University Total Health Care Center, the clinic in Ohio State’s Wexner Medical Center Outpatient Care East offers an exciting expansion of services including a new dental clinic in partnership with Ohio State’s College of Dentistry. The addition of the dental clinic fulfills one of the dreams of Candy Rinehart, DNP, APRN-CNP, chief executive officer of the Total Health Care Center.

“I always dreamed of a one-stop shop,” said Rinehart. “No matter what you need, we can take care of you.” Rinehart has led the clinic since 2014 on the 12th floor in the Ohio State East Hospital Tower. In 2019, they received funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) as a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC). This extra funding gave the clinic an opportunity to offer medically underserved people more integrated access to comprehensive care. 

As Rinehart says, “FQHCs are about services.” The designation gives the clinic access to additional grant opportunities to provide services to the community. They have received funding from the American Heart Association to provide preventive care, for example, and another grant to prevent the spread of HIV.

“Franklin County, Ohio was in the top 10 counties with new HIV diagnoses,” Rinehart said. 

In 2021, they received capital funding to add an optometry clinic in a new space in the Ohio State East Hospital Tower. They also began working with St. Vincent’s Family Resource Center to provide mental health resources for children. In January of this year, they were able to add primary care a few days a week for families and employees. “Our next step will be offering community access,” Rinehart said. “We are growing so fast.”

The clinic at Ohio State’s Wexner Medical Center Outpatient Care East opened in the fall of 2023. Patients could access primary care, family medicine and same-day walk-in care. The dental clinic is targeted to patients with Medicaid, with a sliding fee scale available.

Funding to renovate space on the second floor for the dental clinic was provided primarily by the State of Ohio, thanks in part to State Senator Hearcel Craig, who wanted to expand care for his constituents. “The Office of Government Relations contacted us,” Rinehart said. Adding that service to the existing FQHC meant more funding would become available. The Total Health Care board approved the idea, and the space was secured thanks to a partnership with the Wexner Medical Center. A ribbon-cutting event to officially open the dental clinic took place October 1.

“Nursing gets it done,” Rinehart said. Her motto: “If we see it’s needed, we do it.”

Beyond adding the dental clinic, Rinehart has plans for the Total Health Care Center to expand to other locations in the next year, as well. “We are taking our care to the people,” she said. Two additional clinical sites are being proposed, but nothing is finalized yet.

Her goal is to continue to decrease disparities in healthcare. As part of the effort, they hired a quality manager who tracks the data on their patients and provides reports to HRSA. “We have to maintain compliance with HRSA, which expands grant opportunities,” Rinehart said. Excellent data and reporting offer other positive results as well. The clinic is the recipient of an HRSA Silver Quality Award, which places them in the top 10 to 20% of all community health centers across the U.S. The award demonstrates their success in enhancing health care access for more patients and providing excellence in reporting data.

“We were excited to move from Bronze to Silver,” Rinehart said. “Next, we are going for Gold!”

In addition to providing quality care, Rinehart’s plans include providing patients with mental health consultations, including offering counseling and substance abuse treatment. In September 2024, HRSA awarded a grant of $1.1 million for Total Health Care to develop a new Behavioral Health Department. 

Rinehart also plans to add community health workers, who will follow up with patients who have chronic health conditions.

“We want to keep expanding services, integrating mental health,” Rinehart said. “It’s key to how we care for people. I’m very proud of what we’re doing.”