The new JPS Medical Home Northeast Tarrant was officially dedicated Thursday with a ceremonial ribbon cutting.
Local leaders and other visitors raved as they toured the facility, which brings a wide range of medical services to the northeast part of the county, accessible to patients without a trip to the JPS main campus in downtown Fort Worth.
“This is wonderful,” one woman in the audience exclaimed as she looked around. “They’re going to be able to help a whole lot of people here.”
Many remarked on how they were thrilled to see the eagerly anticipated health center become a reality after watching the building rise over the past 15 months on a lot at 3200 W. Euless Blvd. in Euless. But Tarrant County Commissioner Gary Fickes said the medical home was actually eight years in the making from concept to completion.
“I’m pretty excited,” Fickes said. “It’s been a long time coming. We started with a task force all those years ago and never stopped, no matter what came up, because we knew this was something the area needed. I’m so glad this is here for the people of northeast Tarrant County.”
The 35,000-square-foot health center will provide primary care, women’s health, behavioral health, dental, optometry, laboratory and radiology care. Not only will it offer pharmacy services, it is the first JPS facility to offer a drive-up window where prescriptions can be picked up. Combining services encourages coordination of care among providers and engagement by patients, who no longer need to travel to multiple locations for diagnostics such as X-rays and lab tests. Patients with diabetes, for example, can see a physician, get blood drawn, have their eyes checked and pick up prescriptions in the same location, increasing the likelihood that all preventative measures will be taken.
“I am so excited about what we are going to be able to do here because we are truly moving from a clinic to a medical home,” Fickes said. “People will be able to come here when they have a problem with transportation and can’t get downtown to get their needs fulfilled.”
Beyond the offerings of a clinic, where a patient comes to have a specific need addressed and then goes on their way, a medical home is a care delivery model where patients receive comprehensive services to address their physical and behavioral health. Primary, preventative, wellness, acute and chronic care are all available in one central location. Care is patient-centered and coordinated among a team of doctors, nurses, assistants, pharmacists, educators and other providers.
JPS President and CEO Robert Earley said the concept of a medical home is a revolutionary change in the way patients will receive care.
“Today is a day of accomplishment. This clinic is a prototype of what other clinics can look like in Tarrant County. This is all about keeping people healthy,” Earley said. “I heard it numerous times as people came through the door: ‘Wow! This is JPS?’ Yes it is. This is the new JPS. This is what you as a taxpayer should expect. This is what you should see and this is what you will have.”
While he stressed that the main ingredient in excellent care is the people who provide the services, JPS Board of Managers Chairman Charlie Powell said those doctors, nurses, technicians and other team members need the right tools to do their jobs to the best of their abilities.
“It’s not all about the buildings, the bricks and the sticks. But JPS has to have the facilities to deliver what we do for our patients,” Powell said. “We did the right thing at the right time for our patients.”
Euless Mayor Linda Martin said there were many people who participated in the effort to get the JPS Medical Home Northeast Tarrant built who couldn’t be there Thursday to see the project through to its completion. But she said someone has always been there to pick up the torch because people realized how important the facility is to the region.
“Thank you for bringing this to Euless,” Martin said. “We promise we will be good partners for a very long time and we look forward to it.”
According to Angie Morgan, director of Construction at JPS, the final cost of the medical home, the equipment to stock it and the furnishings inside is expected to be $12.67 million, about $3 million under budget.