Life Center Opens on Horizon Health Campus; Senior Care and HRC Occupy New Building

Social services, including mental health services, are expanding in Edgar County. Horizon Health’s campus continues to grow with the opening of its new Life Center.

The Life Center, located at 745 East Court Street, is a 9,400-square-foot building which houses Horizon Health’s Senior Care program and many services of the Human Resources Center of Clark and Edgar Counties (HRC). The building includes a full, unfinished basement for future expansion.

Horizon Heath and HRC have a long history of working together to support the health of local residents. A key initiative of the Life Center project is to enable mental health professionals to work more closely with physicians and advanced practice providers to better manage their shared patient base.

“It’s been a goal of mine for some time to better integrate mental health into the primary care model,” said Ollie Smith, president and CEO of Horizon Health. “For years, mental health has been a major topic of our community health needs assessment. The addition of the Life Center—bringing a stronger mental health presence onto our primary campus—is a major step in the right direction.”

HRC staff shifted the services that were previously offered at 118 East Court Street to the Life Center. The other HRC building, located behind the hospital at 753 East Court Street, remains operational.

HRC services offered at the Life Center include outpatient mental health services, such as group and individual therapy, family therapy, recovery support services, care coordination, and vocational engagement; outpatient substance use disorder treatment; and the Living Room Program.

Living Room Program is a crisis-respite program providing a safe, inviting, home-like atmosphere for adult patients. The environment created through the program creates a safe space for participants to calmly process the crisis event, as well as learn and apply strategies to prevent future crisis events.

“The formation of the Life Center further develops our relationship with Horizon Health,” said Jonathan Burns, executive director of HRC. “It’s physically recognizable that mental healthcare is part of a person’s overall wellbeing. The close proximity of our operations will foster further collaboration, leading to better patient outcomes.”

The new space also benefits Senior Care, Horizon Health’s outpatient psychiatry program for patients with Medicare part B ages 65 and older, as well as patients who receive Medicare due to having a disability. The program had operated out of the Verona Mall, next to Dollar General in Paris, since 2010. They had significantly outgrown their space in recent years.

Senior Care manager and primary therapist, Connie Rhoads, LCSW, commented: “The new building is wonderful! We have increased space for group activities, additional restroom facilities—which was a major issue in the previous space, and increased privacy for interaction with the nurse. We also benefit greatly from sharing the space with HRC.”

Senior Care, like HRC, also benefits from increased proximity to the main health campus.

The Life Center is now the location of the Parkinson’s Support Group, which is hosted by Senior Care on the first and third Wednesdays of the month from 2 to 3 pm. The group is for individuals with Parkinson’s disease and their caregivers. Family and friends are also welcome to attend.

The Life Center project was funded in part by private donors. Key donors include Dr. Reid Sutton and Carolyn Sutton, LCSW; Jack and Virgie Young; Kenneth and Donna Polky; EnterStar Electric Cooperative; Shirley Saiter, RN; Michael and Alison Williams; Dustin and Sally Melton; Oliver and Ruth Ann Smith; and the Honorable Richard Scott.

Though Senior Care and HRC have a new physical location, other contact information remains the same. Call 217-466-4170 for Senior Care and 217-465-4118 for HRC.