Jefferson County Health Center offers high-quality care

FAIRFIELD — Jefferson County Health Center was founded in 1912 after local residents approved a $25,000 bond to build a hospital.

In the 111 years since, the health center has offered world-class service to the residents of Jefferson County and beyond. More than a decade ago in 2009, the health center moved from its former location on Highland Street on the east side of town to its new location on South Main Street on the south side of town.

The health center has a number of departments, each with trained specialists to help patients with their unique needs. In the health center’s primary care clinic, it has 22 providers. Residents can access the health center’s walk-in clinic, which is run out of the same part of the building as the primary care clinic.

The professional clinic includes two full-time employees, one who performs general surgery and another in rheumatology, along with a team of contractors.

The specialty clinics feature specialized care that residents might assume they have to leave town for, but which JCHC is able to bring to Fairfield on a regular basis. Members of the specialty clinics are often physicians from other hospitals or who have their own private practices in other cities, but who have a contract with JCHC to schedule appointments in Fairfield.

Amy Vetter, Marketing & Community Relations Manager at JCHC, said patients who wish to access the specialty clinics will likely need a referral from their general physician. This will allow them to see specialists such as those in the field of urology, cardiology, acupuncture, allergy, oncology, podiatry and more.

Another department at JCHC is radiology, which conducts all sorts of imaging such as CT scans and X-rays. The health center now has its own therapy department, which was previously contracted out but is now fully staffed by JCHC personnel. Those therapists can treat patients for physical, speech and cardiac therapy, to name a few.

JCHC’s lab is an integral part of the health center, too, and conducts 40,000 tests per month.

The health center contains a 25-bed critical access hospital, and a 24/7 emergency room. It has two ICU rooms, and a place for hospice care.

The health center’s McCreery Cancer Center treats cancer patients in an outpatient setting, meaning they receive treatment at the facility but are able to go home after the treatment. Fortunately, patients at the cancer center can enjoy a nice view out the large windows, which overlook JCHC’s pond to the south, as well as a walking trail and the neighboring Maasdam Barns.

Vetter said one of the things the staff and leadership at JCHC value is being able to provide residents with consistent, high-quality care.

“Having a primary care provider available to you is important because they understand your history, and can really help to coordinate care,” Vetter said.

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