“When we provide care, it’s not just a job to us,” said Dr. Rachelle Dulan Hood, a physician at the Kettering Health Primary Care Physician’s Office attached to Homefull’s Gettysburg Grocery, located at 807 S. Gettysburg Ave. in Dayton.
“We’re caring for our church members, our friends and our loved ones,” she said. “It’s a calling that we’re very proud and blessed to accept.”
Homefull bringing health services full circle
As part of her work, Dulan Hood provides her patients advice on how to maintain a healthy diet, including fruits and vegetables that help prevent chronic disease, she said.
“One of the most heartbreaking parts of my job is when I give people this information and they tell me that they don’t have access to those foods,” Dulan Hood said.
Now her patients can walk from her office to a full-service grocery store without even having to step outside.
Access to fresh fruits and vegetables, along with access to health care, are essential to a person’s wellbeing, she said.
“That’s why this collaboration with Kettering Health, Homefull and the Gettysburg Grocery is so important to me,” said Dulan Hood.
Kettering Health’s new location at Homefull offers primary care services, treatment for acute illness, chronic disease management and more. Some of their established patients have already switched to this location since it is closer to home.
“Collaborating with the grocery store and the pharmacy was a win-win for us,” said Tamu Swanson, a nurse practitioner at Kettering Health’s new location at Homefull.
Ziks Family Pharmacy is also opening its third location at Homefull, experiencing growth as an independent pharmacy in a region that has seen big name pharmacies close up shop.
“Ziks has been a pillar in the community for 16 years,” said Jackie Nappier, marketing director at Ziks Family Pharmacy.
With the closures of other pharmacies, including chains like Walgreens and Rite Aid, Ziks Pharmacy has been able to grow its client base. Partnering with Homefull to open this new location was a no brainer for Ziks Pharmacy, Nappier said.
Pediatric clinic gets federal, state financing
A Dayton Children’s pediatric clinic planned for west Dayton is receiving $8.5 million in federal new markets tax credits and $1 million in state new markets tax credits for its west Dayton urgent care, according to a recent announcement from CityWide Development Corporation.
Those funds are being allocated through the Dayton Region New Market Fund, a CityWide affiliate.
The pediatric clinic will offer after-hours pediatric services to the families in west Dayton, such as for on-demand care for acute illnesses, minor injuries and health care support, according to CityWide and Dayton Children’s.
The planned urgent care will be across the street from DeSoto Bass Courts at Germantown and McCall Streets in the Miami Chapel neighborhood. The 4.3-acre project site was formerly the NIBCO foundry, which ceased operations decades ago.
“We are proud to invest in this project which supports the health of families and children in west Dayton and continues the revitalization of the Miami Chapel neighborhood,” said Dan Kane, president of CityWide.
Dayton Children’s is planning to start construction sometime in the spring.
Greater Dayton Premier Management (GDPM), the local public housing authority, is currently constructing new family housing in this area.
“The new facility meets needs identified by residents of the area through the Choice Neighborhood planning process completed in 2018,” said Kiya Patrick, senior vice president of development for GDPM.
To date, CityWide has received $272 million in federal and state new markets tax credits, spurring more than $900 million in investment in the Dayton region, CityWide said.
Dayton Children’s Hospital is a level one pediatric trauma care center. It is one of 31 independent freestanding children’s hospitals in the country. Dayton Children’s health system also has more than 20 locations, including emergency rooms, urgent cares and Kids Express locations. Dayton Children’s serves 20 Ohio counties and eastern Indiana, and they care for more than 400,000 children each year.
Credit: Jim Noelker
Credit: Jim Noelker
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