A new health center on Fort Wayne’s southeast side will help all patients, despite receiving minimal federal funding.
The Brave Alliance Health Center is a federally qualified health center look-alike, meaning the center will function like a federal clinic, Alliance Health Centers CEO Nikki King said in a statement.
Federally qualified health centers provide care to everyone, regardless of ability to pay. The clinics receive “significant federal funding” to pay for medical care provided and help cover expenses including utilities and other operational costs, King said.
“Federally qualified health center look-alikes also see everyone regardless of ability to pay but do not receive additional federal funding to support operational costs, other than what we receive from billing government insurance plans,” King said.
Parkview Health provides financial and operational support to Alliance Health Centers, and clinic providers are leased from Parkview Physicians Group, she said. Alliance Health Centers also refers patients to Parkview for specialty services, including diagnostic radiology and gynecologic and obstetric care.
The Brave Alliance Health Center is a partnership with Alliance Health Centers and the BRAVE Alliance, a local nonprofit program of the Allen County Drug and Alcohol Consortium.
Alliance Health Centers expects to see more than 100 patients monthly when the center opens in late June.
The center will share a location with Northeast Indiana Positive Resource Connection at 525 Oxford St.
“This clinic is open to all, and we look forward to continuing to break down the barriers to quality health care as the Alliance footprint grows in Fort Wayne,” Dr. Eric Shoemaker, medical director of Alliance Health Centers, said in a statement.
The Brave Alliance Health Center will provide care patients rely on from the BRAVE Alliance and Northeast Indiana Positive Resource Connection. The center will also offer full-service primary care, family medicine and mental health services.
The BRAVE Alliance offers mental health counseling, gender affirming care, group activities and other resources for the LGBTQ+ community. The Northeast Indiana Positive Resource Connection provides education, testing and prevention services for HIV, hepatitis C and sexually transmitted diseases.
“Addressing the gaps and reducing barriers to access for the LGBTQ+ community, and other vulnerable people, changes the landscape immediately,” Kris Wise, licensed social worker with the BRAVE Alliance, said in a statement.
The Brave Alliance Health Center is the second southeast location Alliance Health Centers has announced in the past month.
The organization said on May 30 that it’s partnering with Bridge of Grace Ministries to open a clinic in the new Bridge of Grace Complex at 909 Elmrow Drive. The facility is expected to open in mid-June and will offer full family health care, including primary care and mental health services for children and adults.
Alliance Health Centers also operates a clinic inside Lafayette Medical Center at 2700 S. Lafayette St. and inside the Rescue Mission at 404 E. Washington Blvd.
