Chesterton NorthShore Center Celebrates One Year of Serving the Health of its Community

Chesterton NorthShore Center Celebrates One Year of Serving the Health of its Community

NorthShore Health Center’s newest location in Chesterton is celebrating its first birthday in May!

Located on 407 W. Indiana Ave., the Chesterton NorthShore Center started out small, offering family practice and OB/GYN services three days a week. Since then the practice has added new services like lab work, ultrasound, and pediatrics, and they are open five days a week.

“When June 1st hits we will have a new pediatrician and we will be able to offer even more services to our patients,” Jeff Smith, Site Director for the Chesterton NorthShore Center said.

Through the successes of the other NorthShore Centers and through a need that hadn’t been met yet in Chesterton, the nonprofit opened their 7th location right in the heart of the city. NorthShore is the first Federally Qualified Health Center to open in Chesterton.

“We’re an untapped resource. We started with 300 patients a month and we have more than doubled in our numbers here with 700 patients in March,” Smith said. “We’re growing and patients who come to us like our services and our staff.”

NorthShore has always taken pride in making sure patients have as short of a wait time as possible. They have been able to uphold that standard at the Chesterton NorthShore Center while still providing quality care.

“Our care and our providers are outstanding. We take pride in being friendly and accommodating and as the manager here that’s what I see,” Smith said. “We get lots of positive feedback from the Chesterton community and the people who use us. Chesterton is unique because there is still a homey feeling and the citizens like that we emulate that feeling.”

“We love the patient population who we serve,” Shannon Gavin, Family Nurse Practitioner at the Chesterton NorthShore Center said. “I love what we stand for and we have a great team here that is filled with local Chesterton natives.”

Spreading the word that the Chesterton NorthShore Center was open in Chesterton had the most success via word of mouth. The NorthShore Outreach team made a concerted effort to get out into the community and let people know that a new healthcare facility was coming to town. Upon hearing the news, the people of Chesterton gave the Center a chance and left satisfied.

A myth that needs to be dispelled about NorthShore is that they only serve underinsured, uninsured, and underserved individuals. The truth is that anyone who walks through the doors of a NorthShore facility will receive the care that they need regardless of income.

“We service everybody,” Smith said. “Insurance has changed a lot and people who used to have great plans now have high deductibles and their premiums are through the roof. Since we are federally funded we can offer services to our patients at lower rates because of this. Everyone is looking for quality care at a minimum price and I think we give that to them.”

Nineteen years ago, NorthShore CEO Janice Wilson started the nonprofit with the motto: no one will ever be denied coverage. This motto still holds true to this day.

NorthShore would like to invite all Chesterton families to come celebrate with us as they will be having lots of family activities, games, face painting, character meet and greets, desserts and tours of the facility on May 7. Click here to learn more!