Tara Bair, president and CEO of Community Health & Wellness Partners, has been selected as an honoree in Smart Business Columbus magazine’s list of 2021 Columbus Smart 50 leaders.
Community Health & Wellness was opened in 2014 by Bair to provide a health care practice that would provide economic-based primary care and other wellness services to serve all patients – insured, uninsured, underinsured and self-pay patients. CHWP implements a patient-centered model of care.
Under Bair’s leadership, CHWP has added many services to its primary care practice, including integrated behavioral health, chronic care management, medication assisted treatment, wellness, pharmacy, nutrition and social services support.
The Smart 50 Awards recognize the top executives of the smartest companies in the region for their ability to effectively build and lead savvy organizations, according to Smart Business Columbus magazine, which hosts the awards.
Bair and the other honorees were celebrated with a virtual event July 15. The honorees addressed several questions, such as how they run a “smart” business, how their business innovates and the impact the business has on the Central Ohio community.
“It is such an honor to be recognized alongside so many innovative executives and industry-leading companies in Central Ohio,” Bair said in a release. “We are proud to make a difference in our patients’ lives and our surrounding community and work to treat the whole person through innovative programs and accessible care.”
CHWP has become an innovative health care center by creating programs that push the boundaries on the traditional way that health care is usually delivered. Such innovative programs include:
• A diabetes education program accredited by the American Association of Diabetes Educators that provides diabetes patients with increased access to quality diabetes education services through a team-based approach. In addition to their primary care provider, this program gives patients access to a dietitian, a pharmacist, behavioral health provider and nursing staff — all of whom work at CHWP.
• In 2020, CHWP became one of the first health centers to have a Population Health Department, further advancing its mission of providing innovative initiatives that improve patient outcomes. Population Health is responsible for planning, organizing and managing assigned population health efforts, which include care coordination, case management, disease management and transitional care programs. Its primary goal is to expand diabetes education so that every patient with an A1C above 9 percent receives education in 2021.
• This year, CHWP earned The Joint Commissions’ Gold Seal of Approval for Ambulatory Care and Behavioral Health and Human Services Accreditation by demonstrating continuous compliance with its performance standards. The Gold Seal is a symbol of quality that reflects a health care organization’s commitment to providing safe and quality patient care. Additionally, the health care center also received the Primary Care Medical Home Certification from The Joint Commission, recognizing efforts to coordinate care, including how its primary care clinicians and interdisciplinary teams work in partnership with patients and their families.
CHWP has continued to open new locations, growing from two locations in 2014 to three locations today, with a fourth opening in Urbana in spring 2022.
In addition, CHWP recently launched a school-based health center and a mobile unit. A second school-based health center is anticipated to open in winter 2022. Bair said her goal is to make patient care accessible for everyone.