Foundations Family Medicine, located in Austin and Henryville, has become the most recent organization to join Richmond’s Well Care Community Health family. Foundations Family Medicine is now a division of Well Care Community Health, Inc.. The merger was effective January 1.
While Foundations Family Medicine’s two locations in southern Indiana and Well Care’s flagship in Richmond are more than two hours apart, the organizations are closely aligned in purpose and philosophy. It was this shared mission that brought them together: ensuring that all individuals have access to quality, up-to-date, evidence-based, compassionate, and affordable healthcare in their respective communities.
Well Care Community Health, Inc., founded more than 30 years ago in Richmond, is a certified Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration. Led by Eric Coulter, CEO, Well Care Community Health in Richmond provides medical, dental, and behavioral healthcare services to nearly 10,000 patients in East Central Indiana and Ohio. Some patients are fourth-generation families that have sought care at the facility.
Foundations Family Medicine, established in 2004, has offices in Austin and Henryville. William Cooke, MD leads a team of seven nurse practitioners and a physician assistant who care for approximately 7,000 patients in eight counties through these offices. Similar to Well Care Community Health, Foundations Family Medicine provides primary care to all ages, prenatal care, women’s health, behavioral health, and focused care of conditions prevalent in its communities. HIV, Hepatitis C, substance use, and recovery support are among their focused areas of care.
Cooke was the sole physician in Austin when in 2015, the rural southern community became “ground zero” of the worst opioid crisis and drug-fueled HIV outbreak in US history. In the midst of that crisis, Cooke and his team launched grassroots initiatives and services to care for HIV, hepatitis C, and opioid/substance use disorder and integrated them with their established primary care practice. Cooke has since written a book, “Canary in the Coal Mine,” documenting what he learned during the experience about improving access and hope for individuals with adverse health and socioeconomic disparities.
The decision to align came after several years of working together and sharing ideas. Within the past year, Coulter and Cooke began talking in more detail about how they could best collaborate to help their respective communities expand and improve health services and quality of life.
In separate interviews, Coulter and Cooke each talked about how their missions and culture align and their excitement about what they can do together to help their respective communities. They both emphasized that mission and culture were the driving forces that fueled their collaboration.
Foundations Family Medicine in Austin and Henryville are the third and fourth locations in the Well Care Community Health family. In July 2022, Well Care acquired the dental practice of Charles Hanneman, DDS in Centerville, Indiana. That practice, which now has close to 1500 patients, was renamed Well Care Community Health Dental. The
collaboration has brought enhanced dental services not only to Centerville but also to Richmond.
Well Care Community Health, Inc. welcomes all individuals as patients in each of its four locations. To become a patient or schedule an appointment, call Richmond at 765-973-9294, Austin or Henryville at 812-794-8100, Centerville at 765-855-3435, or visit mywellcare.org for more information.