Southern and Appalachian Ohio experience significantly poorer health outcomes, higher rates of chronic disease, and shorter life expectancies compared to the national average and northern regions of the state. But Jody Prather, President & CEO of HealthSource of Ohio, says that their upcoming service expansion in Batavia will seek to change those results.
Prather joined host Bob Pautke on the latest episode of Good Day Clermont!, where he announced a major partnership with UC Health and other regional agencies to expand access to specialized healthcare in many of Clermont’s most vulnerable communities.
Left to right: Jody Prather and Bob Pautke
Southern Ohio and surrounding counties experience significant health risks.
HealthSource of Ohio began talks with UC Health to cross-pollinate their strong healthcare systems and expand their geographic reach together. Importantly, the move to combine facility resources aims to ensure these healthcare systems grow through professional coordination.
Prather learned from his experience in healthcare that patient-and-doctor handoffs can be challenging, especially without specialists and a precise network of communication between providers. HealthSource administrators believe teaming up with UC Health will simplify the full coordination of care, especially for rural populations in Clermont County and neighboring Southeastern Ohio counties.
“Our board is very interested in us expanding that rural health access mission,” he told Good Day Clermont!
Image by HealthSource of OhioThe partnership will include constructing a 35-acre property in Batavia to provide the needed space for specialized departments and facilities that support academic health missions.
Both organizations have spent the last year assessing the logistics of integration in Clermont. According to Prather, UC Health serves similar patient populations, and HealthSource has experience advancing physician education and training, including its residency and partnership with Xavier. In this regard, the collaboration offers efficiency and aligns public health goals.
“We started looking at all the things we shared culturally and conceptually and said we really want to wrap services around these folks,” Prather explained. “Folks don’t necessarily want to head to Clifton from the Eastside [for specialized care].”
The idea to purchase property in Batavia came from studying existing patients' movements and conversations with the UC Health administration. Patients from Highland and Adams County funnel into Clermont along Interstate 275, making Batavia a convenient hub for those seeking service.
Prather described both organizations as ‘safety-net providers’ that require significant infrastructure for physicians and staff in the coming years. He notes that the new building will accommodate patients from inside and outside Clermont’s fast-growing population.
For over a year, HealthSource of Ohio has maintained the land for this project. Construction teams are in the process of staging materials and moving dirt for the upcoming groundbreaking ceremony on October 20.
Prather hopes that the new facility will become a ‘destination healthcare campus’ in the coming years. “We want to go slow because we want to be very intentional about making sure it's the right kind of service; it's additive and first-class,” he explained.
When asked about the completion timeline, Prather responded, “Generally, we’re putting a pin in the ground for late spring or early summer 2028.” Recent constraints from supply chain shortages and contractor availability have made it difficult to predict an exact completion date this early in the project. However, he said the project could move faster with a bit of luck.
UC Health is not the only organization in talks with HealthSource of Ohio about collaboration opportunities.
Integrated Services for Behavioral Health (ISBH) has hoped to expand its reach while offering HealthSource of Ohio many of the holistic services it seeks for patients. ISBH serves patients in Fayette, Adams, and Highland counties, where Prather said he observed operations and got to know many administrators. The organization offers services HealthSource of Ohio does not yet provide, including residential services, in-home case management, and youth care.
ISBH also operates in 24 counties that HealthSource of Ohio does not.
Source: HealthSource of Ohio
“This is where partnerships have to come together,” he said. It could take another four to six months of due diligence and discussion before finalizing the integration. Prather describes this as a ‘cultural exercise’ for both parties; a chance to better understand their goals and determine if the relationship is a practical fit.
If both organizations finalize a partnership in the future, Prather said, it will constitute a merger in which HealthSource would be the surviving organization while helping ISBH leaders steward their mission of serving patients across Ohio.
Photo by HealthSource of OhioPrather became President of HealthSource of Ohio in 2024. Though he originates from Kentucky, he has felt a welcoming pull to the Cincinnati area, even joking about his affinity for Jungle Jim's.
“Culturally, it’s familiar to me… I wake up every day thinking I’m doing the Good Work.” Prather said.
While he admits Cincinnati has many other good healthcare providers, he believes HealthSource of Ohio is uniquely positioned to manage much of the population’s primary care needs, along with the additional services it's preparing to launch.
He worries America’s current healthcare system is not yet ready to handle many of the challenges it will face in the near future, emphasizing the need to organize new resources and strategies now. An aging population, combined with a shrinking healthcare workforce, can put significant stress on clinical capacity, especially in underserved areas like rural Ohio.
Image by HealthSource of Ohio
If the partnership proves successful, the public could view HealthSource of Ohio (and Clermont County by proxy) as a transformational agent of healthcare in the Cincinnati metro region. The hope is that every Clermont resident will see noticeable improvements in their health and quality of life through access to these updated systems.
“It’s a lot of work, but it’s exciting… I wake up ready to go every day.” Prather concluded.
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