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DOWAGIAC — The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi will be expanding its medical services next week.

The Pokagon Band announced that its new Mshkiki Community Clinic, a division of its Pokagon Health Services department, will begin providing dental services to eligible patients beginning on Monday, Oct. 4 and medical services to eligible patients on Monday, Oct. 18.

Dental services will be provided by Dr. Gadia Peabody, DDS, and medical services will be provided by Nurse Practitioner Susan Allen. Both Dr. Peabody and Susan Allen recently joined the Mshkiki Community Clinic team.

Mshkiki Community Clinic, 1986 Mall Place, Benton Harbor, and operates from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. It was established in 2021 to serve the primary medical and dental care needs of Medicaid eligible and low-income residents living in Benton Harbor and Benton Township. Mshkiki is the Potawatomi word for medicine.

Dental care services offered at the Mshkiki Community Clinic include cleanings, routine exams, filings, extractions, root canals, x-rays, bridges, crowns, dentures and partials. Primary medical care services offered include acute care, chronic disease management, immunizations, minor procedures, routine exams and well-child visits.

The clinic’s respiratory services include respiratory care for potential COVID-19 or other respiratory infections, COVID-19 testing, and COVID-19 vaccinations.

Peabody, a native of Benton Harbor, Michigan, most recently served as a prosthodontist at PermaDontics Center in San Diego, California.  His previous clinical work includes tenure at Muskegon Family Care in Muskegon, Michigan and other practice groups in Michigan, California, and Illinois.

Peabody received his doctor of dental surgery from the University of Michigan School of Dentistry. Immediately following dental school, he traveled west to study at the Loma Linda University Center for Implant Dentistry where he completed a preceptorship in implant dentistry.  Peabody is board certified by the American Board of Oral Implantology/ Implant Dentistry.

Susan Allen was born and raised in Michigan and has called Benton Harbor home for six years.  She completed her undergraduate nursing degree at Andrews University and her master’s nurse practitioner and doctor of nursing practice degrees at Azusa Pacific University in Southern California.

Allen has been practicing as a nurse practitioner for several years and has taught at the high school, college, and doctoral levels. She attributes her high level of patient satisfaction to addressing patient concerns quickly and efficiently with the highest standard of care.

“We are very pleased to welcome Dr. Gadia Peabody and Susan Allen to the Mshkiki Community Clinic team,” said Priscilla Gatties, director for Pokagon Band of Potawatomi’s Department of Health Services. “Both are very experienced medical professionals and their specialized skills will provide a strong foundation of care at the clinic.  We look forward to serving a variety of Medicaid qualified patients in October.”

“Now more than ever, our communities need to have a choice of where they can access the best and most effective healthcare,” added Pokagon Band Tribal Chairwoman Rebecca Richards. “We hope that the availability of dental and medical services at Mshkiki Clinic will help better serve residents in the Benton Harbor area, especially those in need.”

In Michigan, adults that qualify for Medicaid include those that make $16,000 or less for a single person or $33,000 or less for a family of four. According to the 2019 Census numbers, 46 percent of Benton Harbor’s 9,000 residents and 33 percent of Benton Township’s 14,000 residents would qualify for Medicaid and could receive services at the Mshkiki Community Clinic. Unlike other Medicaid participating clinics, Tribal Health Centers do not collect copays from Medicaid patients.

To schedule an appointment, call (269) 945-5854 or send an email to info@mshkikiclinic.com. More information on the Mshkiki Community Clinic can be found at MshkikiClinic.com.