Northwest Health Services has been serving communities in Missouri since 1983. We’re proud to be a non-profit, community-owned organization.  Unlike traditional healthcare providers, Northwest Health is governed by a board of volunteers–at least 51% of whom are consumers of our services.  That’s why no matter where you go, you can be sure that all Northwest Health locations…

• Are open to all residents, regardless of insurance status
• Provide reduced cost care based on ability to pay
• Tailor services to fit the special needs and priorities of local communities
• Provide services based on the advice of local residents, businesses, churches, and other organizations; and
• Offer services that help everyone access health care, such as translation, health education, and chronic disease management.

Our Mission

Partnering with communities to achieve population health through patient-centered care.

Our Vision

Through patient-centered integration, collaboration, and innovation Northwest Health Services will transform to a new standard of care for community health centers, leading in the delivery of high quality outcomes.

Our Values

Patient-Centered- The patients we serve are the reason we exist and are the center of all that we do. We recognize and respond to the needs of whole person and foster a spirit of community. Providing our patients and their families with the highest quality care in an environment that is safe and compassionate is our priority.

Pursuit of Excellence - As individuals and collectively we strive for excellence. We promote innovation, develop programs and processes to measure and continually improve quality, encourage continuous learning and empowerment both for staff and the patients we serve.

Collaboration- We provide an environment that promotes teamwork and mutual respect by recognizing that together we are stronger than we are alone, by both formally and informally recognizing contributions of individuals, teams, and partnering agencies and by creating an inclusive work environment that enables the delivery of respectful and culturally-appropriate care.

Community Driven- We are committed to understanding and reaching out to the communities we serve. Through the consideration of culture, economic and educational status, traditions, and other socio-cultural needs we provide services that positively impact community health.

Continuity of Care- It is through coordination and integration that we support our patients and their families as they navigate the multiple systems of care. Caring hand-offs between different providers and entities throughout the community create a shared environment of responsibility and accountability for the healthcare team and the patients being served. Demonstrating that the trust extended to us by our patients, funders and partners is well placed. We prove the effectiveness of our work through measurable results.

NHS Timeline

Northwest Health Services is a Community Health Center serving 15 counties in Northwest Missouri. It directly serves residents of Andrew, Buchanan, Caldwell, Gentry, Harrison, and Holt County. As defined in the geographic service area Northwest Health Services also serves surrounding counties of Nodaway, Daviess, DeKalb, Clinton, Livingston, Grundy, Mercer and adjoining counties in Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska. The counties we serve are primarily agricultural and local economics depend heavily on farming. The population of the combined areas is approximately 275,000 people.

Northwest Health Services was founded in 1983 by leaders in Holt County. The organization was initially created to recruit physicians to replace aging and ill physicians in the area. By bringing together individual practitioners, the effort evolved into the development of a comprehensive system of health care delivery. The Community Health Center was formed by combining three existing physician practices into two. Shortly after the existing practices merged another practice was added forming the complete primary care system of three sites in Holt County. Northwest Health Services has continued to evolve and grow into the organization it is today. Below is an abbreviated timeline of the history of Northwest Health Services.

1983:  Incorporated to provide a recruitment base to secure physicians to replace aging and ill physicians in Holt County. Obtained a planning grant  of $100,000 from the Bureau of Health Care Delivery and Assistance (BHCDA) to establish a federally-assisted Community Health Center in Holt County, Missouri.

1984-85:  Acquired three existing physician practices and combined into two offices, one in Oregon and one in Mound City. Retained one full-time physician, one part-time, and recruited a National Health Service Corps physician to practice in Oregon.

1986 :  Recruited another National Health Services Corps physician to practice in Mound City; also recruited his wife, a Family Nurse Practitioner. Physician at Maitland passed away, and his widow asked NHS to keep the clinic open. Sites open in Mound City, Maitland and Oregon.

1987:  Learned of the rural Health Clinics Act, which provided reasonable cost reimbursement to providers in rural medically underserved areas who employed mid-level providers such as Family Nurse Practitioners. Also learned of Federally Funded Health Clinic program, administered through regulation, which provided similar cost reimbursement.

1988:  Converted two clinic sites to RHC, splitting one Family Nurse Practitioner between them. Realized additional $100,000 annual reimbursement from Medicare. Converted one clinic to FFHC reimbursement.

1989:  Original Executive Director resigns. CFO Susan Wilson promoted to replace him. Continue to operate three Community Health Center (CHC) sites in Holt County.

1990:  Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) provider type established by Health Care Financing Administration for Medicaid and Medicare. NHS converts from RHC and FFHC to FQHC cost-based reimbursement.

1992:  Community of King City advised by the Kansas City BHCDA office to approach NHS about establishing a CHC.

1994:  $100,000 additional grant funding secured to open King City site in April 1994, staffed by a Family Nurse Practitioner. Replacement physician recruited to Mound City site. Federal CHC grant funding at $600,000.

1995:  Executive Director of Caldwell County Medical Aid Corporation (CCMAC), a CHC in Hamilton and Braymer, resigns. ED of CHC in Kirksville and ED of NHS “tag-team” manage for the CCMAC board of directors until end of 1995. CCMAC has two physicians and two family nurse practitioners.

1996:  CCMAC Board of Directors contracts with NHS for management services. Heartland contacts NHS for consultant assistance to covert the Youth Health Center to FQHC. NHS suggests network development instead – Heartland agrees.

1997:  CCMAC merges into NHS. Heartland transfers four primary care clinics to NHS: Youth Health Center, St. Joseph; Infectious Disease Clinic, St. Joseph; Wathena Medical Center, Wathena; Gaul Family Practice, Troy. Tri-Source HMO closes Mound City office. Tri Source HMO decides to close St. Joseph Family Practice and Pediatric Specialists office, and contacts NHS and Heartland about employment opportunities for physicians. Combined federal grant at $1,000,000 annual. Missouri Department of health PRIMO funding of $125,000 secured to assist with network formation. Board of Directors expands from 12 to 15, including 5 members each from the three natural geographical clinic groupings. Heartland has one member on the board.

1998:  NHS opens Family Medicine Associates in St. Joseph with five family practice physicians, one family nurse practitioner and one adult nurse practitioner. NHS moves the Infectious Disease Clinic from 2nd floor at Heartland West to Family Medicine Associates facility. NHS recruits an internist for Braymer and a family practice physician from Wathena. The pediatrician at the Youth Health Center resigns. NHS moves the family nurse practitioner from Wathena to the Youth Health Center. Federal assistance continues at $1,000,000, PRIMO funding continues at $100,000.

1999 :  NHS discontinues Infections Disease Clinic following loss of Adult Nurse Practitioner. Two Licensed Clinical Social Workers are added. Maintain operations; address serious financial challenges.

2000:  Maitland site is closed due to declining volume. Denise Jennings contacts NHS about including Cainsville in our program. Expansion application is submitted. Dental services approved by BPHC but with no funding.

2001:  Cainsville expansion application re-submitted. NHS begins Diabetes III Health Disparities Collaborative. Jim’s Pharmacy closes in Hamilton; community development group approaches NHS about opening a pharmacy. Mental Health expansion funding awarded and services expanded. Heartland Health and NHS begin discussions about CHC site expansion in St. Joseph.

2002:  Cainsville approved for funding and opens July 1. Northwest Dental Services opens in late July. Northwest Pharmacy Services opens in fall. Med-Clinic closes its South Side clinic. Med-Clinic approaches NHS in October and asks NHS to take over the Savannah Med Clinic. Heartland Health and NHS begin regular meetings to draft expansion grant application. NHS begins Depression II Health Disparities Collaborative.

2003:  Savannah Medical Clinic opens February 1, with no CHC funding support. NHS submits expansion application for Savannah Medical Clinic, South Side Health Center and North End Health Center. Funding is awarded for site expansions effective December 1. Full-time pediatrician services restored to Family Health Center (formerly Youth Health Center).

2004:  The South Side Health Center and North End Health Center are opened. Northwest Health Services partnered with the Ryan White RAISE (HIV/Aids) clinic.

2005:  Northwest Family Dental in St. Joseph opens.

2007:  Northwest Health Services received a State grant to build a new clinic for Mound City. This grant would allow the organization the opportunity to combine the 2 Mound City clinics into one and add dental services.

2008:  In December the Family Health Center in St. Joseph was closed due to close proximity with the North End Health Center and patients moved to that location.

2009:  The new Mound City clinic was built and the previous 2 clinics were combined into one. The new site includes a dental clinic with 3 operatories. Also that same year Northwest Health Services received technical assistance from the bureau of primary care around performance and the recommendation was made to close the Wathena Medical Clinic. That recommendation was taken to the board of directors and approved. Wathena Medical Clinic was closes and the provider moves to the Family Medicine Associates location.

2010:  As part of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, NHS received funding to improve access to care for patients. One project that was selected was to move the Hamilton Pharmacy onsite at the Hamilton Medical Clinic. The combined medical and pharmacy site was completed in June, 2010.

2011:  Northwest Health Services expands its dental partnership with McCoy & Samples Dentistry into Hamilton, MO. Through a new partnership with Heartland Health Services and the Social Welfare board in St. Joseph, MO, the Community Access Network is formed. The purpose of this network is to improve access to care for the community. To help in this mission, care managers were added to 3 of our St. Joseph sites. Care managers help patients gain access to care outside of the emergency room.

2012:  NHS is currently in the process of adding oral surgery to our dental practice and expanding access to dental care through partnerships.