How “Whole-Person” Health Became the Mantra 

Meridian Health Services is a unique healthcare organization specializing in “whole-person” health. Meridian began in 1976 as a small Community Mental Health Center providing therapy, counseling, and psychiatry for patients in Delaware, Henry, and Jay counties.  In 2002, many CMHCs were in decline. However, Meridian was a leader in mental and behavioral health services in the state of Indiana and began to seek a new way – a better way – to care for its patients.  

Meridian asked the question – what if instead of caring for just one part of the person, we focused on the whole person?  

• • • • • “Whole-person health is not a new concept,” Dr. Sarfraz Khan, Chief Medical Officer at Meridian Health Services explained. “It’s as old as human beings on earth. If my eyes are hurting, I cannot sleep. If I have pain in my leg, I cannot run. We are all integrated.”  

“Whole-person” health became the company mantra, and so the introduction of a broad spectrum of health services including primary medical care, behavioral health, and social services.  

The introduction of integrated care set the stage for many important milestones including: 

• • • Becoming the first behavioral health organization in Indiana to provide primary medical care services with the introduction of MeridianMD in 2010.  
    • Achieving Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) status in 2012 – the first Community Mental Health Center in Indiana to do so.  

What is an FQHC? 

FQHC stands for Federally Qualified Health Center. These centers were created to provide comprehensive care to medically underserved communities and populations that often have difficulty accessing care elsewhere.  

This status is what sets Meridian apart and has allowed Meridian to grow from a small community mental health center serving three counties, to one of the state’s largest healthcare providers offering primary medical care, dental care, women’s health OB/GYN, pharmacy services, pediatric care, therapy and counseling, psychiatry services, addictions and recovery, and so much more often under one roof.  

Ensuring Health Care is Available to Everyone 

Meridian’s healthcare services are available to all. Accessibility to health care is a pillar of FQHCs and ensures anyone can receive care regardless of their ability to pay. For example the last 10 years, Meridian has provided a total of $42.5 million in charity care to 43,664 people who were unable to pay.  

FQHCs have long been considered a “community safety net” providing care for many patients who otherwise would go without. Meridian cares for a more medically diverse group of patients, often on Medicaid, who have complex needs including those who are considered severely mentally ill (SMI), individuals with a dual diagnosis or connected physical and mental health symptoms, and those battling substance use disorder.  

Why FQHCs Matter

Without FQHCs like Meridian, the impact felt throughout communities across the state of Indiana and the real people receiving these services would be devastating.  

• • • Emergency rooms would be overburdened. Patients without insurance or money or options would go to hospital emergency rooms for basic care creating longer wait times for everyone. This would lead to unpaid medical bills of which the hospitals would have to absorb and would raise costs across the entire healthcare system. 
    • Illness and disease would be left untreated due to people skipping routine checkups and screenings. Chronic illnesses could be left untreated due to losing access to regular medication and monitoring.  
    • Rural and underserved urban areas would become medical deserts. Often, FQHCs are based in areas where options are limited whether that be financially, geographically, or due to clinics not being able to accommodate medically complex patients. Vulnerable groups like children, senior citizens, and veterans would lose this lifeline of care.