FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Fisher-Titus and Family Health Services Begin Renovation to Expand Health Care Access in Huron County
(MARCH 29, Norwalk) – Residents of Huron County will soon have access to expanded health care services through a partnership with Family Health Services and Fisher-Titus. On March 29, Fisher-Titus, Family Health Services, and Tusing Builders broke ground on the renovation of the former Food Town building at 265 Benedict Avenue, directly across from Fisher-Titus Medical Center.
“We are so excited to be a part of Huron County, creating access and continuity to care is our mission,” said David Tatro, chief executive officer of Family Health Services. “This partnership with Fisher-Titus will allow us to provide health and wellness services to all residents of Huron county. We’ve had great success in the surrounding counties with our four locations and look forward to bringing that same quality care without barriers to care for residents of Huron County.”
The renovated building will be owned and managed by Fisher-Titus Health with 7,705 square feet reserved for Fisher-Titus administrative office space that will house their accounting, Home Health, billing, and scheduling departments.
Another 8,525 square feet is reserved for Family Health Services (FHS). In this space, Family Health Services will provide Behavioral health, Primary Care, and Dentistry services to Huron County. As a Federally Qualified Health Center, they provide care to all residents of the communities they serve, regardless of their ability to pay. Family Health Services accepts Medicaid, Medicare, and all insurance carriers. A sliding fee scale is used for patients who do not have insurance or whose insurance coverage fails to take care of the bills, and pricing is adjusted based on a patient’s ability to pay.
FHS has been providing behavioral health services in Norwalk since November of 2020 on the Fisher-Titus Medical Center Campus.
“As we continually look for ways to provide the right care, right here for the residents of our community, working alongside Family Health Services just makes sense,” said Dr. Brent Burkey, president and CEO of Fisher-Titus. “According to our 2020 Huron County Community Health Assessment, almost 8% of our county has no insurance, and of those who do have insurance, 38% have public health insurance that may be prone to gaps in coverage. We want people to make their health and wellness a priority, regardless of their financial circumstances. Everyone should have access to affordable, quality primary care and behavioral health care, and Family Health Services is in a position to be able to provide that.”
Tusing Builders out of Monroeville will serve as general contractors for the project. Hasenstab Architects out of Cleveland are also part of the project which is projected to be completed by the fall of 2021.
In attendance at Monday’s groundbreaking were representatives from FHS, Fisher-Titus, and Tusing Builders. In addition, Randy Runyon, President & CEO of the Ohio Association of Community Health Centers traveled to Norwalk to celebrate the partnership of FHS and Fisher-Titus that will benefit the community for years to come.
To learn more about Family Health Service, visit FamilyHS.org or call 419-502-2800. Information on Fisher-Titus can be found at FisherTitus.org.
About Fisher-Titus
Fisher-Titus proudly serves the greater Huron County area’s 70,000-plus residents by providing a full continuum of health and wellness care from heart and cancer care to outpatient services such as lab, imaging, and physical rehabilitation. In addition, Fisher-Titus’ employed physicians offer a variety of primary and specialty care services including behavioral health, digestive health, endocrinology, family medicine, general surgery, heart and vascular, internal medicine, occupational health, pediatrics, pulmonary, sleep medicine, spine surgery, urology, and women’s health. Along with the medical center, a 99-bed acute care hospital, Fisher-Titus health system includes Norwalk Memorial Home, a 69-bed skilled nursing facility; Carriage House, a 48-unit assisted living facility; a Home Health Center; and emergency transport through North Central EMS. To learn more, visit fishertitus.org.
About Family Health Services
Family Health Services (FHS) is one of over 1,400 Federally Qualified Health Centers in the country. FHS is a Certified Patient Centered Medical Home offering services to include dental, medical and behavioral health services. Currently FHS provides care to over 7,000 residents of Ohio, predominantly residing in Erie, Huron, Ottawa, Sandusky and Lorain counties.
Family Health Services is funded through the Public Health Act and is compliant to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). FHS received its certification as a Federally Qualified Health Center in 2010. The mission of Family Health Services, is not unlike all other Federally Qualified Health Centers throughout the country, which is to provide greater access to care to residents with public health insurances such as Medicaid and Medicare, and to provide affordable care to those residents that are underinsured or uninsured.