Health Care Hero: Tara Bair is meeting care receivers where they are

Tara Bair, president and CEO of Community Health & Wellness Partners. COURTESY OF GREENCREST

From Dayton Business Journal by Dennis Bova – DBJ Contributor

A commitment to bring care to those who need it – meeting care receivers where they are – and a new twist to communicating by text message are highlights of what has led Tara Bair to being nominated as a Health Care Hero.

To bring high-quality health care to rural Ohio communities, Bair founded Community Health & Wellness Partners in Urbana; she’s also president and CEO of the agency.

​Since 2014, Community Health & Wellness Partners has expanded its geographic footprint and services for patients.

Bair is a 2023 Health Care Hero in the Manager category.
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The Federally Qualified Health Center operates in Bellefontaine, Indian Lake, Urbana and West Liberty. The group provides primary care, integrated behavioral health care, wellness care, chronic care management, medication assisted treatment for substance abuse, pharmacy, nutrition and other services.

"Tara is constantly working to reach more underserved patients through expansion and better serve current patients through thoughtful innovation," says Kelly Borth, chief strategy officer at GREENCREST.

Originally focused on Logan and surrounding counties, CHWP in 2022 expanded to a community health care center in Urbana, Champaign County.

“It was clear that Urbana needed a community health center not only for recovery patients, but to also eliminate barriers to primary care and other health services for all community residents," Bair said.

CHWP improved patient engagement through a two-way text communication system. CHWP is the only Ohio provider with a two-way interactive messaging system where a patient can ask questions and schedule exams.

“Tara is an innovative leader willing to adapt to best serve her community,” Borth said in her nomination of Bair. “She goes above and beyond to reach those who are not getting the health care they need due to financial restraints or geographic accessibility. She meets them where they are.”
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Bair also serves as the incoming chair of the Ohio Association of Community Health Centers and chair of its Ohio Primary Care Workforce committee.