BLOOMINGTON, Ill.—Four eyecare practices that are uniting under one business name in central Illinois announced the name of the new company last week: VisionPoint Eye Center. The name and a new logo for the business, which includes eyewear boutique Specs Around Town, were revealed as part of the ceremonial groundbreaking for a new 28,000-square-foot building in which the ECPs will operate here in Bloomington. The new $10 million (estimated investment) facility is expected to open in the fall of 2019. The details of the merger of the businesses was reported by VMAIL in May.

Included in the merger, according to the announcement, are:

  • Dr. Daniel Brownstone, MD; Dr. Catharine Crockett, MD; Dr. Scott Pinter MD, and Dr. Kathy Vize, OD, of Eye Surgical Associates in Bloomington

  • Dr. Jeffrey Huettemann, OD; Dr. David Landess, OD, and Dr. Jason Dunn, OD, of McLean County Eye Center in Normal, Ill.

  • Dr. Eric Norell, OD; Dr. Michelle Willenbring, OD, and Dr. Tom Mahaffey, OD, of Central Illinois Eye Care in Normal, Ill.

  • Dr. John Couillard, OD, and Dr. Wilson Movic, OD, of Eyecare Associates in Bloomington

  • Specs Around Town, owned by Julie Kubsch. Specs Around Town will retain its name as the eye wear boutique within VisionPoint Eye Center.
The owners of the business will be Drs. Brownstone, Crockett, Huettemann, Landess, Pinter, Norell, and Dunn, according to the announcement. All current optometrists and ophthalmologists involved in the existing practices are planning to practice in the new business. It is estimated the new practice will employ approximately 90 staff, which is equivalent to the combined sum of staff at each individual office, the announcement noted.

“Together, we combine our talents to offer our patients the personalized and quality care they have come to expect from our practices, but now they will also have the convenience of having all their routine care or specialized care in one modern, state of the art eye care facility,” Dr. Landess said at the groundbreaking (according to an announcement). “This will allow for smoother integration between the optometrists who serve as the primary care doctors in eyecare and the ophthalmologists who serve as the specialists and surgeons. Combining resources allows each doctor type to do what they do best.”

He added, “And we are excited about bringing Specs Around Town to the new facility. The wide variety of collections from around the world offered by Specs, in addition to traditional glasses, will provide our patients with many choices in eyewear and sunglasses.”

Dr. Pinter said the selection of the name and logo is “both literal in describing what we do, but it also acknowledges that we are forward thinking and have a vision for the future. The word “point” signifies this central place where all our practices come together and the primary place our patient will receive care. The emblem that we have chosen has three interconnecting circles that represent our interconnecting values of medical excellence, patient centered care and our interdependence as a team. These circles also represent the three vision sciences that are merging: optometry, ophthalmology and optical eyewear. The shape that immerges in the center of these three circles is that of an eye – the focal point of our services.” Pinter said.

In addition to providing routine vision, medical and optical care for eye patients, LASIK surgery and minor eye surgical procedures will take place at the new facility along with post-operative visits. Cataract surgery will continue to take place in the Eastland Medical Plaza Surgicenter on the OSF St. Joseph campus, the announcement stated.