Step by step, Jade Couch Klingler kept moving forward, seeking to make the next right decision for her community.
That path has now led her not only to the establishment of Revolution Health, PC clinics in Sturgis and Colon, but also to the Glen Oaks Community College graduation stage as 2022 Alumni of the Year.
“It is such a huge honor,” she said of the award. “When I first learned about it, I was speechless.”
Her journey began when her sister, a nurse, noticed Jade’s caregiving skills and ability to connect well with people, and recommended Jade follow in her footsteps.
The Sturgis High School graduate did just that, receiving her practical nursing certificate (2007) and associate of applied science in nursing (2008) from Glen Oaks. While working at Coldwater Hospital, she pursued her BSN and MSN-FNP at Goshen College.
Further work at Sturgis Hospital and Colon Medical Clinic taught her about healthcare in small communities.
As she saw healthcare providers retiring and leaving their practices, she responded to a community need for more healthcare providers and a walk-in clinic.
“God was totally involved,” she said of the ability to procure a building and find quality colleagues who took the risk of going into a new practice.
Revolution Health offers the whole spectrum of services for everything from chronic conditions to acute care to holistic health.
There are no physicians on campus: all providers are nurse practitioners and physician’s assistants with 10 or more years of schooling in their respective genres.
And they share the core value of listening to their patients.
“They combine their medical experience with what the patient is saying to develop a treatment plan to make them the best person they can be,” Klingler said.
The community has responded positively: at the Sturgis location, their eight providers (and two therapy golden retrievers) care for just a handful shy of 12,000 patients. In April, two of their providers started a clinic in Colon, which has already grown from part-time to full-time.
“The sky is the limit for us,” Klingler said.
As she looks toward the future, she would love to begin offering mental health services, as “there is such a need.”
Klingler credits her Glen Oaks education – especially the teaching of Bill Lederman and Nancy Haylett – for preparing her for the work she does now.
“Glen Oaks was really the foundation of why I continued to go on,” she said. “Education is such an important thing to do. Glen Oaks made me who I am not only for knowledge in nursing, but it boosted my confidence level. It molded me to be the person I am now – my ability to study and overcome obstacles. The nursing program is no joke.”
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SIDEBAR:
Jade Couch Klingler, a 2008 graduate of Glen Oaks Community College and its 2022 Alumni of the Year, founded Revolution Health PC in response to a community need for more healthcare providers and a walk-in clinic.
The flourishing general practice now has nearly 12,000 patients in its Sturgis clinic and recently opened another clinic in Colon. Its staff, nurse practitioners and physician’s assistants, operate on a core value of listening to their patients and working with them to help them become the best people they can be.
Klingler calls Glen Oaks the foundation of why she continued to go on: giving her nursing knowledge, boosting her confidence level and molding her to be the person she is now.