NORTHSHORE HEALTH CENTERS ANNOUNCES MERGER WITH OBSTETRICAL & GYNECOLOGICAL ASSOCIATES
MUNSTER, Ind., April 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — NorthShore Health Centers and Obstetrical & Gynecological Associates have merged to create a more comprehensive healthcare experience for patients throughout the region, it was announced today.
Northshore currently has more than 20 locations between full-service clinics and primary care clinics in local school districts that provide medical, dental, vision, chiropractic, mental health and medication assistance through on-site pharmacies.
The nonprofit, which provides a variety of services to residents in Lake, Porter, La Porte and Jasper counties, recently announced its expansion into four new communities over the next few months.
In addition to the Gary facility, which opened in April, the other three markets and their opening dates are Crown Point (May 1) and Michigan City and East Chicago (both June 28). The new locations will enable the company to provide accessible care to a wider patient base.
OGA Valparaiso office, which offers advanced obstetrical and gynecological care throughout Northwest Indiana, is staffed with female doctors, nurse practitioners and midwives and has been operating for more than 50 years. The number of midwives will increase to four making it possible for midwives to be a part of the prenatal care program regardless of insurance coverage.
“This is an incredible opportunity, and it translates to better healthcare for all women throughout the region,” said Dr. Cheryl Short, an OGA provider.
Short said that in a time when quality healthcare is affected by the shortage of physicians, especially OB/GYNs, it’s important to have access to facilities that can provide for women’s health and healthier beginnings for their babies. She said doctors, nurse practitioners and midwives of OGA can now focus on their patients’ medical needs while the NorthShore network of office staff and personnel can focus on the administrative work.
“As a previous small practice, there were things that OGA providers could not do as well with the funding they had,” Short said. “This merger allows us to focus almost 100% on the patients. In private practice, nearly half of our time is on administrative duties. We went to school to study medicine. Now we can go back to what we do best.”
About NorthShore Health Centers
NorthShore Health Centers is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing quality, affordable healthcare to everyone, including the uninsured and underinsured, in Porter, Lake, La Porte and Jasper Counties. The healthcare provider offers a sliding-scale or discounted self-pay option based on income for those with no medical insurance or high insurance deductibles.
Patients are seen on both a scheduled and walk-in basis. After-hours services and urgent care needs are also available at many of the locations including Saturdays at six of the clinics: Portage, Lake Station, Hammond, Schererville, St. John and Crown Point centers. For more information, visit northshorehealth.org.
CONTACT: Denise Carpenter NorthShore Health dcarpenter@northshorehealth.org
