Eastbrook Well Spring Care
About Us
Founding Story
The Eastbrook Well Spring Care healthcare facility originated at the crossroads of cultural, religious and medical freedom. It was by the direction and grace of God, along with the unification of the local communities both Plain and English, that this idea became a reality.
In 2010 community members in the Lancaster County, Pennsylvania region began to realize there were systemic issues within the healthcare system. This realization started a search for a local solution. Patients in the community did not feel they were being offered true patient care by their healthcare providers due to many factors. Common among these were: time constraints placed on office visits; patients being shuffled from doctor to doctor; long waiting times for procedures; and forced protocols and medications that did not always align with the population’s cultural and/or religious beliefs.
Community members began researching the source of the issues, and found a multitude of explanations and reasons for what they were experiencing. Time constraints, for instance, came from pressure placed on providers by the insurance reimbursement system, which allowed less than ideal amounts of time for providers to spend on direct care with patients. Also, it was highlighted that the way the medical system is currently set up in Pennsylvania and around the country means that no sole provider is responsible for the complete care of a patient. Therefore patients get shuffled from one specialist to another, who look at different body systems—but never at the patient as a whole.
The long waiting times for diagnostic procedures stem from the medical system being overburdened, with too few diagnostic centers available given the number of patients requiring procedures. Lastly, treatment protocols mandated by government agencies have alienated patients whose cultural or religious beliefs are not aligned with certain treatment regiments, or who lean towards the use of natural remedies for their ailments. Ultimately, both patients and providers were looking for more autonomy within the medical system. The community wanted better quality healthcare for themselves and for their future generations.
A new kind of healthcare organization
A local whole foods store owner provided a space in Bird-In-Hand, Pennsylvania for community members to gather and discuss what could be done to remedy the situation. Dr. Chris Turnpaugh, an established functional medicine doctor from Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania was already treating patients of the Plain community, and was asked to help. (Functional medicine looks to the underlying causes of disease and illness.)
Dr. Turnpaugh used his experience in functional medicine to successfully work with additional patients, mainly from the Plain community, once a week. In getting to know these patients, along with the unique needs of their culture and community, he realized the community would benefit from their own healthcare system. He understood there was a need to not only provide good care to this community—but to honor their wishes and consider how they would like to be treated within the medical system.
Well Spring Care Ministry, a local Anabaptist group founded by members of the Old Order Amish Church, shared Dr. Turnpaugh’s vision for such a healthcare organization. One that would offer whole-person care, and a variety of services under one roof including: family medicine, a walk-in clinic, chiropractic care, IV and massage therapy, cardiology, biological dentistry and health education. It was agreed that the goal of the organization would be to focus on proactive healthcare, rather than reactive healthcare. In other words, providers would help guide patients to habits, practices and lifestyles that yield optimum states of health, rather than just respond to disease and illness, after the fact.
Founded in faith
Energized, the group got to work. A board was formed, which went about raising awareness of a new non-profit organization—Eastbrook Well Spring Care (EWSC)—being planned for their community. Local churches, businesses and families heartily supported the effort. They raised significant funds and rolled up their sleeves. Donations of materials and equipment poured in from Lancaster County businesses, youth groups helped with demolition work and leagues of skilled craftsmen volunteered their time to help with construction efforts.
Ads were placed in a popular Amish publication, and newsletters were sent out to local publication mailing lists encouraging support of the new venture—owned by the community for the sake of the community.
Dr. Kevin Lorah of North Group Consultants also played a crucial role in the early shaping of Eastbrook Well Spring Care (EWSC). As an experienced medical director with extensive knowledge of healthcare systems, he generously shared his expertise. Initially contributing as a volunteer and later as an organizational development consultant, Dr. Lorah was instrumental in transforming the ambitious vision of EWSC into a practical, initial-phase reality. “The EWSC Board of Directors, Advisory Board and supporting Committees are an amazing group of people who’ve volunteered a lot of time, effort and resources into developing this,” says Dr. Lorah. “I was blessed to be invited in.”
Piece by piece, every detail came into focus at a spacious new facility at 150 Eastbrook Road in Smoketown, Pennsylvania, located at the hub of the popular thoroughfares of Routes 30 and 340, just a 15-minute drive east from the city square of Downtown Lancaster.
To the delight of the founders, the first EWSC job fair attracted a slew of eager, skilled applicants, from front desk staff to administrative personnel. Notable healthcare professionals took notice of what was being established and got involved with the new healthcare organization.
Exceptional health care—with a mission
Prayer, too, was a major component for the board, as well as its volunteers and supporters. The Anabaptist board focused on creating a place that would provide excellent, individualized care to their community, and do so in a way that reflected the guidance of the Lord. In fact, their earliest mission statement read: To create a community effort, to provide a pleasant, comfortable, loving, Christian atmosphere to care for the sick and suffering, using an efficient, affordable, and common sense approach.
In December of 2023 Eastbrook Well Spring Care opened its doors, welcoming all.
The facility offers care across the healthcare spectrum. There’s family medicine and functional medicine, along with nutrition, chiropractic, massage and IV therapy. Cardiology, and biological dentistry are offered, as well as phlebotomy, which is processed at the in-house blood lab. There’s even a walk-in clinic for non-life-threatening health conditions and injuries. Notable is its self-pay service model: Costs are stated up front in a menu format that’s a boon for healthcare cost transparency, efficiency, and affordability.
Staff members represent Eastbrook Well Spring Care, but are employed by contracted medical companies. It is an ideal setup given that each contracted company has a leadership role in its respective practice area. Key, too, is the ability for Eastbrook Well Spring Care patients to utilize both traditional Western medicine and functional medicine, which is sometimes called root-cause medicine or natural medicine. At EWSC, functional medicine is based on methods that have been vetted by extensive data, and its use is determined by the provider depending on the case and, importantly, the wishes of the patient.
“Providers want to practice medicine again,” points out Dr. Turnpaugh, emphasizing how the ability to forge one-on-one relationships with patients was always a cornerstone of this new healthcare model. So is the ability to skillfully toggle between two health care approaches, and an emphasis on whole person care and health education. And, of course, the reason that Eastbrook Well Spring Care exists in the first place: freedom, flexibility and faith. It is a place where people, driven by deeply held personal beliefs, can offer and receive superb community-based care for generations to come. It is the hope of its founders that this center will remain a legacy within the community, long after they are gone.