After a one-week shutdown, the Columbus Junction Clinic will reopen today under new ownership.

Washington County Hospital and Clinics (WCHC) assumed operations of the Columbus Junction Clinic March 1st and closed last week to prepare the physical space and provide staff with training on the hospital’s electronic medical record. WCHC CEO Todd Patterson says the new partnership will be beneficial for patients in Louisa County and, specifically, Columbus Junction, “It allows to continue to provide great service to patients in Columbus Junction and also creates kind of a tether so we can bring patients from Columbus Junction over to our hospital so they can get specialty services, advanced imaging, cardiology, neurology, and other things we have to offer here.”

Patterson says patients of the Columbus Junction Clinic will continue to be cared for by Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner Danielle Woepking, but WCHC will also bring in another healthcare provider to see patients on Fridays starting later this month. He says another new feature is the addition of a Sophia machine which allows them to perform rapid COVID screening with the same accuracy they can provide through outpatient services at WCHC.

The Columbus Junction Clinic’s new operating hours are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m. to noon Friday. WCHC will host an open house at the clinic Friday, March 12th from noon to 2 p.m. with a ribbon cutting at 1 p.m.