When NorthShore Health Centers celebrated the grand opening of their Janice E. Wilson Health Center earlier this year, they also celebrated the addition of a new provider and field of care – Dr. Dan Dewar’s chiropractic services.
Born and raised in the Region, Dewar earned his Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Palmer College of Chiropractic. He brings 20 years of local experience to the team at NorthShore Health Centers, who knew of his excellent reputation in the area when they sought to bring him aboard.
“I’ve been working in Portage since 1999,” he said. “A couple of years ago, I was looking to find a new building when I heard that NorthShore was building one of their own. They came to me and said they were interested in adding chiropractic services as a new way to manage pain without drugs, so it was a great fit for both of us.”
Beyond his two decades of professional care, Dewar has had a lifelong passion for service.
“Ever since I was young, I’ve always wanted to help people.” he said. “When I was really young, I wanted to be a pediatrician, because I loved the idea of working with kids.”
He later attended Purdue University. While at Purdue, Dewar said his counselor suggested he look into the field of chiropractic. “Shortly after that, I met Dr. Mark Olson, a Chiropractor in Hobart, who explained to me how the body is self-healing, how stress beyond the body’s ability to adapt causes interference to the nervous system and that removing the interference helps restore health to that individual. This made sense to me. I then began working in a chiropractic clinic in Highland which continued to set me down my chiropractic path.”
Dewar almost immediately fell in love with the work, and is always thrilled to work with his patients.
“Helping patients is hands down the best part of what I do,” he said. “ It’s amazing to experience the feeling that I made a difference and helped change their lives. I get to see miracles every day.”
Working at NorthShore means Dewar can coordinate care with all of their expert providers, from family physicians to OB/GYNs, and often gets to see patients he might never have met before joining the team.
“Everyone here, from the CEO all the way through the organization, just really wants to help people,” he said. “It’s a special opportunity to work with these experts, and figure out what we can do together to give the best care to every patient. In particular, it’s really been amazing working with the obstetricians and the midwives. I’ve helped more pregnant women in the last nine months than I have over my last 20 years in practice.”
When he has free time, Dewar loves to spend it fishing and boating with his family.
“I love being by the water,” he said. “I live on a small lake, so my main hobbies are anything that can get me out on the water.”
To learn more about NorthShore Health Centers or to schedule an appointment with Dr. Dewar, visit northshorehealth.org.
