Bowen Health breaks ground on new Transitional Living Campus

Breaking ground for the new Transitional Living campus. From left: Dan Woods, Bowen Health Board Member, Eddie Gomez, Bowen Health VP Facilities, Marci Wicks, Bowen Health Transitional Living Director, Evan, Bowen Health Transitional Living Patient, Dr. Rob Ryan, Bowen Health President/CEO, Tess Ottenweller, Bowen Health VP Intensive Services, Rich Hoffman, Bowen Health Facilities Director, Jay Baumgartner, Bowen Health CFO, Cindy Brady, Bowen Health Board Member, Shannon Hannon, Bowen Health COO.

Bowen Health VP Intensive Services, Tess Ottenweller

Bowen Health President and CEO, Dr. Rob Ryan.

Bowen Health Board Member, Cindy Brady.

Eddie Gomez, Bowen Health VP Facilities.

Bowen Health broke ground on its new Transitional Living campus Wednesday afternoon in Warsaw. This short-term treatment program is designed to provide patients in need of intensive treatment with safe living accommodations and connections to behavioral and physical health services. 

The campus will offer various levels of group homes and individual living units, enhancing community integration and employment opportunities. The goal for all patients is to develop the skills necessary to live independent lives. 

Dr. Rob Ryan, Bowen Health President, and CEO, said that the campus concept, in the works for more than two years, came about due to the passion of three Bowen executives: Tess Ottenweller, VP of Intensive Services, Marci Wicks, Director of Transitional Living and Rich Hoffman, Director of Facilities. 

“What is their vision? It's to build a centralized campus focused on assisting severely mentally ill people in Huntington, Kosciusko, Marshall, Wabash, and Whitley, to live independently in their communities,” said Dr. Ryan. 

“We're calling this project our Transitional Living Campus. We picked the word campus because, unlike traditional group homes, the focus of these homes built on this property will be on building independence. This building is the first of three planned phases of construction. Each part will focus on graduating a resident from basic to intermediate to ready-to-launch skills.”

“When completed, we will have invested over $12 million in the care of our transitional living programs,” said Bowen Health CFO Jay Baumgartner. “Thanks go to our legislators, the Indiana Division of Mental Health and Addictions, and the Indiana Council of Community Mental Health Centers, who are providing the seed money to help get this program going. Without their assistance, we would not have been able to move forward with this.”

Currently, Bowen Health operates four separate facilities in Kosciusko and Marshall Counties. This new project will combine some of these facilities into one campus-style setting, offering a high level of care in an enhanced therapeutic living environment for patients that includes shared outdoor and garden space.

“Our program focuses on equipping residents with practical skills that are needed to live independently and thrive in the community,” said Ms. Ottenweller, VP Intensive Services. “These skills include daily living activities, managing mental health, and engaging in the community environment. Each resident has regular appointments with mental health and psychiatric professionals as well as primary care providers to address their overall health needs. We work closely with family members and caregivers, external community partners, and other natural supports to ensure a resident's specific needs are met.”

“These individuals are valued members of this community with hopes and dreams, like many of us,” said Eddie Gomez, Bowen Health VP of Facilities. “I can assure you that their new home has been designed with great care, with their comfort and healing in mind.”

“This is an opportunity for residents to grow and learn while receiving the support and services to help them flourish,” said Bowen Health Board Member Cindy Brady. “Our residents have so much to offer our community, and Bowen Health is thankful to our community for welcoming them and helping them flourish.”

“In this space, patients will have the opportunity to heal, physically, emotionally, and mentally,” said Marci Wicks, Bowen Health Director of Transitional Living. “This space will provide the care, support, and resources they need to recover and rebuild their lives. It represents growth, progress, and the promise of new opportunities. Within these walls, patients will find more than just treatment. They will find hope, healing, and the opportunity to transform their lives.” 

Ms. Wicks then introduced Evan, a current resident of The Harbors, one of Bowen Health’s current transitional living facilities. Struggling for more than a decade with his mental health due to a long battle with Lyme Disease, he began to receive treatment at Bowen Health in late 2024. He was battling thoughts of suicide and was unable to continue living with his family due to his illness. Then, he had a conversation with Ms. Wicks.

“Marci informed me that I was a good candidate for transitional living and that she was willing to help,” Evan said. “When she said this, I was relieved. I finally had hope in the darkest place imaginable. 

“When I arrived, the staff members treated me with the utmost respect. I was unaware a place like this existed. The Harbors have saved my life. 

We recognize the need for a continuum of mental health care that goes beyond intensive hospitalization and outpatient care,” said Bowen Health COO, Shannon Hannon. “We also know that our patients are best served right here in their communities, and our communities are becoming richer by our patients like Evan being a part of them. 

“Because of this, you've seen Bowen Health double down by investing in additional therapy and psychiatric services, adding primary care and crisis receiving and stabilization services,” Ms. Hannon continued. “Now, we get the opportunity to revamp our transitional living programs by creating this beautiful campus right here in Kosciusko County.