From several locations in downtown Powell, Heritage Health Center will soon consolidate under one roof. The federally qualified community health center is moving to newly acquired and spacious quarters in the former Fitch building, located just east of Powell High School at 1201 Seventh St.

The purchase coincides with a plan to merge the Powell-based organization with One Health, a group of community health centers in Montana.

Colette Mild, CEO of the Heritage Health Center (HHC), is excited about both developments.

The move to the Fitch building will dramatically increase the floor space available to HHC. At present, clinic operations are provided in about 3,300 square feet of space in three adjacent main street buildings at 126, 128 and 130 N. Bent St. In the Fitch building, HHC will have 11,000 square feet of usable space.

“Space is important to work flow,” said Mild, including accommodating privacy for integrated care and access to providers.

A remodeling of the former Fitch building will be undertaken by the health care center as soon as possible. Mild said she hopes a request for proposals for design planning will follow within a month. 

The merger with One Health offers advantages of shared administrative and financial services which helps to hold down the cost of health care, she said. One Health is comprised of core community health care centers at Hardin, Miles City, Lewistown and Chinook, Montana, and associated satellite clinics.

“This merger is a little bit different. It’s not a takeover,” said Mild. “We [HHC] are not in any dire straits. We are just willing to think outside the box.”

Dr. Sarah Sowerwine, chief medical officer at HHC, added to the positives.

“A larger building and the merger with One Health will allow for continued growth in services, improved sliding scale fees and access to increased supportive specialties,” she said. “It will not change our dedication to quality patient care for the whole family or our commitment to the Big Horn Basin.” 

The chief executive officer of One Health is Dr. David Mark of Miles City. Mild will become a vice president of business operations and finance for One Health and remain in Powell.

HHC will have three board members within the One Health organization.  

“There will also be a local advisory board for One Health, and multiple people representing HHC will be on that board,” Mild said.

Ashley Jarrett, a nurse at HHC since its inception, will be site director for the expanded operation in the Fitch building. Mild said HHC will probably add up to five more staff members at the new facility. HHC will likely continue a presence at one of its main street locations for administrative offices, Mild said.

HHC served over 2,300 unique patients at its Powell clinic and off-site clinics at Greybull and Lovell in the last year. The HHC operation has 30 staff members, including six providers and two behavioral health counselors.

The organization purchased the building from Alan Lohman of LJS Holdings LLC. Located at the intersection of Seventh Street and Road 8, the building formerly housed Fitch Information Services, when the New York City-based credit ratings agency had a satellite office in Powell. Currently, it houses multiple tenants, including an office for the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation’s Northwest Enforcement Team. Leases of present tenants will be honored, but not renewed, Mild said.

A letter from HHC to patients and supporters will be going out soon to outline plans for the way forward after the merger with One Health.