Community Health Center of Clarion to open in August
CLARION – Community Health Center of Fort Dodge will open a new location in Clarion August 12. The office located at 303 N Main Street will begin seeing patients beginning on August 12 offering primary medical care. Dental and behavioral health services will also be offered in the future.
A contract to purchase was signed in January 2024 after the retirement announcement from the previous occupant Pamela Kelch, DDS. The former dental office will soon provide medical, dental and behavioral health services to the Clarion community. “We are thrilled to broaden our services at this location to encompass not only dental care but also comprehensive medical and behavioral health services.” said Renae Kruckenberg, CEO, Community Health Center of Fort Dodge.
The clinic has already secured an office manager, medical assistant and Physicians Assistant. “Some of the staff have already started working and have been training at our Fort Dodge location.” said Kruckenberg. “We’re truly excited to open our doors and begin serving patients. Initially, we’ll focus on providing comprehensive medical services, leveraging our fully staffed team in that area. As we continue to grow, we will expand our offerings to include dental services and behavioral health, as soon as we fill those crucial positions.”
The Clarion location will operate under the umbrella of Community Health Center of Fort Dodge, Inc, doing business as Community Health Center of Clarion. It will be open Monday through Friday 7:00 am – 5:00 pm. They can be reached at 515-532-3343. The health center accepts most private insurance, Medicare, Medicaid and offers a sliding fee scale to those who qualify. The sliding fee discount program gives those who are uninsured or underinsured another option for payment. At the Clarion office, the front desk staff member will be able to assist patients in filling out forms with the proof of their household income to see if they qualify. If additional assistance is needed, patients will have access to the financial advocate at the Fort Dodge office to guide them in assessing what type of financial assistance for which they may qualify.
Patientswho had beenwith Pamela Kelch, DDS will not need to take any action to transfer their records as Community Health Center has assumed and will manage all records from her practice.
Meet t
he provider:
Naarah Hauenstein, PA-C
Family Practice
Naarah is an experienced Physician Assistant skilled in medical education, pediatrics and family medicine. She likes being a health care provider in small rural communities where she can form bonds with her patients because they also are her friends and neighbors. Naarah has a Master of Science (M.S.) focused in Physician Assistant from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. Please help us in welcoming her to the community and to Community Health Center.