HOHENWALD, Tenn. — Maury Regional Health was recently recognized by the Rural Health Association of Tennessee (RHAT) for providing quality health care to rural areas through Lewis Health Center (LHC) in Hohenwald. RHAT presented its Exemplary Project Award based on LHC’s designation as a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC).
“As the first Maury Regional Health-affiliated primary care practice to receive FQHC certification, Lewis Health Center has served as a guide for offering a unique health care model throughout the region we serve,” said Maury Regional Health CEO Alan Watson. “We appreciate the quality care provided to the residents of Lewis County by the physicians, nurse practitioners and staff members at Lewis Health Center.”
Maury Regional Health has operated the LHC facility for more than 20 years, providing a range of outpatient services that include primary care, imaging, physical therapy, laboratory testing and a physician specialist clinic. In 2014, the primary care practice within the facility obtained FQHC designation, which provides a patient-centered medical home approach to primary care and allows income-based discounts to be extended to patients.
In presenting the recent award, RHAT noted that rural hospitals in Tennessee have been some of the most stressed in the country with health care providers increasingly called upon to explore unique options for serving rural areas. In February 2018, United States Senator Lamar Alexander visited LHC to examine its work to provide outpatient health care services in a rural community, calling the facility “a model for rural health care.”
“More and more each day, people in our community see the benefits of Lewis Health Center and the FQHC designation,” said Terry Bunch, who serves as chair of the FQHC board. “Being able to offer more and better services at a lower cost—that is what we are all looking for.”
A construction project currently underway at LHC will renovate the registration and waiting area, expand the exam and laboratory areas and add a training space. The project is scheduled to be complete in spring 2019.
In addition to LHC in Hohenwald, FQHC services are offered at PrimeCare Clinic in Columbia, Primary Care-Waynesboro, Lewisburg Pediatrics and Lewisburg Family Practice. To learn more about FQHC services, visit MauryRegional.com/locations/community-health-centers.