Capital Health Plan (CHP) is pleased to announce the opening of its new Metropolitan Health Center on October 28, 2019. Located adjacent to I-10 and Thomasville Road, the 72,000 square-foot facility will now be the flagship location for CHP’s Urgent Care services. It will also host an array of medical and therapeutic services including wound care, complex care, primary care physician’s offices, lab work and imaging such as X-ray and ultrasound, as well as the new Nancy Van Vessem, M.D., Center for Healthy Aging.
“We are excited to welcome our members to our new CHP Metropolitan Health Center,” said John Hogan, CEO of Capital Health Plan. “Since our start in 1982, Capital Health Plan has been committed to offering affordable, comprehensive health care. The opening of this building is another step on our dedicated path to that commitment, and I want to thank everyone who helped bring this project to life.”
The new building showcases a modern design element, and features the first-of-its-kind Disaster Recovery Center. The center is equipped with an energy-efficient cooling system, utilizes a community grid power during off-peak periods and the entire building is backed up by generator power.
“We take our role as the Big Bend’s local, trusted health care provider seriously, and this new building demonstrates that,” said Ken Boutwell, Chairman of the CHP Board. “This new location was designed with all of our members in mind, and we are pleased with the broad spectrum of services it will offer.”
The building will host a variety of medical services, including the Center for Complex Care, treating patients with more serious and ongoing medical issues and the Wound Care Center, providing advanced treatment options for non-healing wounds. The center will also be home to the Nancy Van Vessem, M.D., Center for Healthy Aging, named in honor of the late Dr. Nancy Van Vessem, CHP’s former Chief Medical Officer. The center will have a unique focus based on the needs of the area’s rapidly growing 65+ population.
“The Nancy Van Vessem, M.D., Center for Healthy Aging is truly special and something we are very proud of,” said Hogan. “It will allow us to provide specialized age-friendly care for the Big Bend’s older population and honors Nancy’s memory and dedication to keeping our community healthy for life.”
The Nancy Van Vessem, M.D., Center for Healthy Aging adds a new dynamic from existing CHP facilities by focusing on age-friendly care for Medicare members, with an emphasis on the “4Ms”: mentation, medications, mobility, and what matters to patients. Recently, the John A. Hartford Foundation and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement acknowledged the center with the prestigious “Age-Friendly Health System” designation for its commitment to enhanced care for older adults. Only 107 hospitals and Health Systems across the country have received the designation.
For more information, visit capitalhealth.com.
Capital Health Plan (CHP) is committed to offering affordable, comprehensive health care to its members. In over 35 years, CHP has grown to serve more than 135,000 members in the Florida panhandle and has an extensive physician network that includes three exclusive CHP health centers that provide preventive, primary, and specialty care services. Based out of Tallahassee, FL, it is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, an association of independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies. For more information, visit capitalhealth.com.
