New medical clinic for Butler County school employees, their families

Shown in one of the exam rooms at the Butler Advantage Health & Wellness Center are, from left, Dr. Natasha Moore, DO, the site s medical director; Kandice Dooley, a certified medical assistant; and Debra Viverette RN, the office manager. CONTRIBUTED/BOB RATTERMAN

Shown in one of the exam rooms at the Butler Advantage Health & Wellness Center are, from left, Dr. Natasha Moore, DO, the site s medical director; Kandice Dooley, a certified medical assistant; and Debra Viverette RN, the office manager. CONTRIBUTED/BOB RATTERMAN

Talawanda district employees now have a different kind of health-care coverage with services offered at a clinic established for the county.

The new facility, the Health and Wellness Center, held a soft opening several weeks ago followed by a formal opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday. Butler Health Plan members, spouses and dependents from 12 Southwest Ohio school districts and the Educational Service Center can receive medical and dental coverage.

The Health and Wellness Center is managed and operated by CareHere, a Tennessee-based onsite healthcare provider, in collaboration with Butler Advantage, a division of Butler Health Plan.

“CareHere is honored to have been chosen by Butler Health Plan as their partner in providing their employees with quality, cost-effective healthcare. Our providers and wellness coaches are committed to the care of each of our patients by spending quality time with them in order to provide the optimal service with enthusiasm and compassion,” said Ben Baker, CareHere co-founder and COO.

Talawanda CFO and Treasurer Mike Davis serves on the BHP board and announced at the Sept. 17 board of education meeting service is being provided this year with no increase in cost for a savings to both the district and staff members.

He said Board member Mary Jane Roberts and former Board member Lois Vollmer attended a conference several years ago and hear about the concept at a luncheon talk.

“They were intrigued by it,” Davis said and the idea of a Butler County health initiative was hatched.

Members of Butler Health Plan include Butler County Educational Service Center, Butler Tech Career Development School, Fairfield City Schools, Great Oaks Career Campuses, Hamilton City School District, Madison Local School District, Middletown City School District, Monroe Local School District, New Miami Local School District, Ross Local School District, Sycamore Community School District and Talawanda School District.

In all, the plan covers 5,000 employees with a total of 12,000 people including employees and dependents.

The facility’s medical director is Dr. Natasha Moore, DO, a West Point graduate who said she originally was studying engineering but changed to medicine. She obtained her medical degree at Ohio University and now resides in Cincinnati, where she began her medical career with TriHealth.

“The collaboration between Butler Advantage and CareHere is one that is extremely beneficial to our employees and their families covered under Butler Health Plan,” said Randy Bertram, chairman of the Butler Advantage Board and treasurer of Middletown City Schools. “I am excited to be part of this ground-breaking adventure and to be able to offer such an extraordinary benefit to our employees.”

The Health and Wellness Center will offer primary care services with no co-payments, no deductibles and no cost for onsite generic medications.

The Health and Wellness Center is located at 400 N. Erie Blvd. in Hamilton, in the same building as the Butler County ESC.

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