How long is Nexplanon effective? Nexplanon is effective for up to 3 years. It can be removed before 3 years or a new implant can be inserted at the same time the old one is removed. It releases a progestin hormone called etonogestrel. Nexplanon does not contain estrogen.

How effective is Nexplanon?
Nexplanon is over 99% effective in preventing pregnancy. 

How does Nexplanon actually work?
Nexplanon keeps the egg from being released by your ovaries and prevents sperm from reaching the egg by delivering a steady, low dose of hormones into your bloodstream.

How is Nexplanon placed ?
A small amount of numbing medication is placed at the site of insertion (inside your upper arm), the Nexplanon is then placed under the skin, a pressure bandage is applied. The actually time to do the insertion is a matter of minutes.

How is Nexplanon removed?
A small amount of numbing medication is placed near the insertion site, a small incision is made in the skin, the rod is then removed and a pressure bandage is applied. Again, the removal is very quick and easy.

Who do I know if I am a good candidate for Nexplanon? Almost anyone is a good candidate! Anyone who cannot use estrogen containing birth control methods, breastfeeding moms, teenagers, peri-menopausal women and most anyone in between.

You should not use Nexplanon if you know you are pregnant, have or have had blood clots, liver disease, a liver tumor, breast cancer, or any other cancer that is sensitive to Progestin, or are allergic to anything in Nexplanon.

There are some risks related to insertion and removal, which can include pain, irritation, swelling, bruising, scarring, infection at site, or breaking of the implant. Common side effects also include a change in your normal menstrual bleeding pattern which includes, longer or shorter bleeding duration. Spotting between periods can also occur or you may stop your periods all together. Other possible side effects are acne, mood swings/depression, breast pain and pain at insertion site.

Interested in Nexplanon? Nexplanon is currently available at HealthNet Southwest Health Center. Please call 317-957-2500 to make an appointment.

When I think about how I can best make a contribution to society, I start by first looking in the mirror and then I immediately turn to the 5 most important people in my life; my wife and four children. 

The six of us together living in a house, but what makes that house a home is the abundance of Love and the Grace of God that keeps us in great health; physically, mentally, emotionally and most importantly, spiritually.  A house is simply a structure, but what makes a house a “home” are the people and the daily realities.

With that in mind, I think about what we do on a weekly basis at Southwest Heath Center in caring for our patients.  We love our patients and we do our very best to provide them with quality, evidence-based and up-to-date health care  each and every day.  The other thing that is so rewarding is that our patients feel a since of comfort when they come to our office for their visits. 

There have been many times when a patient of mine has commented on how well they were treated by the individuals throughout the center; especially by our medical assistants and nurses.  Our patients feel welcomed, they do not feel judged and the love (which is an action word) that we display towards them is real and in almost every case is reciprocated in the form of the gratitude expressed and the compliance acted upon on their part.

There are times when our patients contact the office because they have nowhere else to turn.  We have had patients tell us that we are the “only family” that they have.  While that is a sad consideration, it is also very humbling that we are held with such high regard. 

Life “happens” to all of us and it is a good feeling for individuals to know that they have a “home” where they can go for direction, guidance and most importantly acceptance.  We all want to be loved and we all need a house that we can call a home.

Know that you are welcomed in OUR HOUSE any time. 

Our mission is to IMPROVE lives with COMPASSIONATE health CARE and SUPPORT services….  We will improve your life/situation because we are compassionate, we care and you will have our support.  We are honored and humbled to open up our home to you.  Come on home!

They would organize to bring about something that hadn’t been done before in their neighborhood: the availability of affordable, quality health care for people who needed it, but didn’t have access to it.

To reach their dream, they tirelessly hosted endless fundraiser rummage sales and fish frys.

They even pushed a piano down the street once, just to make a sale!

Artwork by Julia Allen

In 1972, their dream became a reality when they had raised enough money to purchase an old drug store on West Morris Street and convert it into a small, but much needed health center. Several served on the health center’s Board of Directors. Over the years, they have continued their fight to keep health services in their neighborhood. Today Southwest Health & Dental Center remains HealthNet’s busiest health center.

In fact, when the center reached capacity about five years ago, the Southwest Health Center Board made the final pledge to complete the fundraising campaign for an expansion. In 2010, the health center reopened in its new home, a 103-year-old Masonic Lodge beautifully renovated by Halstead Architects and Wurster Construction.

The greatness of the neighborhood group’s dream resided not as much in its originality—other health centers had begun popping up around the country a few years before—as in the ownership these folks took in it.  In doing so, they opened doors for their community – doors to health, hope and a better future for their families.

This community spirit has been the genesis for all of HealthNet’s health centers, and has  remained at the heart of our work ever since. And it is the most salient explanation of how and why HealthNet has become what it is today—the largest Federally Qualified Health Center in Indiana, with more than 584 staff members, serving more than 51,500 patients and clients through many sites across Marion County and beyond.

This year, Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) is honoring neighborhood visionaries and important projects in our city as part of their Vision 20/20 anniversary celebration. Guess who was among the first to be highlighted? The Southwest side residents who started Southwest Health & Dental Center some 44 years ago. Check out this video!

As we wrap up a month-long focus on giving a care about hopes and dreams, we salute our founders who had the vision and fortitude to make their dreams a reality for their neighborhoods! And, we thank LISC for being a great community partner in our communities.

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What’s next for Indy neighborhoods? What will it take to make them great? Good question. If you have hopes and dreams for YOUR neighborhood, be a part of the discussion. Check out the public conversation series LISC is hosting this fall.