New Riley Children’s Health clinic opens in Fort Wayne

By Alyssa Ivanson | WANE

A new clinic in Fort Wayne is helping some kids get the medical care they need without having to drive to Indianapolis. The Riley Children’s Health outpatient specialty clinic is now open on Cook Road.

“It’s one drive for me to come up here and see lots of kids in the same day and they can get back to school or jobs in the same day and it allows us to keep in close contact with our patients,” Dr. Greg Montgomery, a pediatric pulmonologist for Riley Hospital said.

One of those patients is 11-year-old Gaby Basalo. He was diagnosed with severe asthma when he was an infant. He now has check-ups with Dr. Montgomery every three to six months. The family lives in Warsaw and would make the long trek to Indianapolis for those appointments.

“Being able to have that close to home, 45 minutes away verses three hours is huge,” Gaby’s mom, Kelly Basalo, said.

Hundreds of northeast Indiana patients will see the same benefits and able to get their regular check-ups in Fort Wayne instead of Indianapolis. Doctors for gastroenterology, rheumatology and urology will also come to the clinic. Riley Children’s Health cardiology patients will still go to Fort Wayne Pediatrics.

“There are hundreds of patients who would already consider themselves to be Riley kids who have the chance to be seen here in Fort Wayne,” Montgomery said. “We can see new patients too. Kids who have new complaints identified by their pediatrician and we can see them here and start the diagnostic process in Fort Wayne.”

Gaby, for one, is happy to have a clinic closer to home.

“I didn’t have to suffer all the drive of being in the car for three hours straight,” he said.