Providing solutions, one patient at a time
By Abigail Thorpe
The Health Connection has been serving patients in Tacoma since 2005, helping people achieve fast and long-lasting results when it comes to their personal health and quality of life. The practice has offered chiropractic care, massage therapy and acupuncture services for 15 years, and is committed to the health and well-being of its community.
“What makes our business unique is how we treat people,” says owner and practitioner Brad Eyford, D.C. “We do everything that we can to give them what they want and need. We call it ‘patient-centered care’, but really what that means is we look at everything from the standpoint of ‘If I was a patient, what would I think or want?’”
Dr. Eyford and his team’s commitment to patient-centered care as well as their success at providing options that work have garnered The Health Connection quite a following in the Tacoma area. The practice recently expanded its locations to help better serve the Seattle area as well, and now includes a location in Ballard.
The Health Connection’s approach to care is unique, and there really isn’t any other clinic like it in the Northwest. “There is never one right answer for everybody, and when you have a health-related issue we give you a variety of ways how to deal with it,” he explains. “I think people appreciate that.”
At The Health Connection, you won’t get treated with a “one size fits all” approach. Whether patients come in with a work injury, injury from a car accident, or something as innocent as yard working or golfing, Dr. Eyford and his team are dedicated to getting them better—whatever that solution may be.
“The most rewarding part is seeing patients get better and stay better. I love it when I hear that they are back to doing whatever it is they love to do,” says Eyford. “We are a clinic that people seek out because they want to be here, and not because they have to be here. That really shows when patients that we haven’t seen in years come back in and bring their family with them.”
Originally from Vancouver, Canada, Dr. Eyford went to chiropractic school in Portland, Oregon, and then settled down in the Puget Sound to start his practice after his education. Since opening The Health Connection, and starting a family here, he quickly grew to love the Tacoma community and its growing transformation. “Tacoma has a very unique quality about it that feels like home to me. The neighborhoods, the waterfront, the people … it reminds me very much of Vancouver before it became a major city.”
As far as The Health Connection being a part of the 6th Ave Business District, and living in the Proctor District, “I know how interconnected everybody is with their local businesses, and I truly appreciate being part of the fabric of everyday life for our patients,” he explains. The Health Connection is also involved with many fundraisers and nonprofits in the area—just one way they help serve the community.
The new Ballard location promises to be a part of that unique drive to serve and grow with the community, and the team looks forward to being a part of what defines the Ballard area as well. “Opening up in a clinic in Seattle will definitely add to the impact we have on the entire Puget Sound region,” foresees Dr. Eyford.
He looks at every patient encounter as a puzzle—that he can help solve. “They are taking time away from their life to come to see me to make their life better,” he says. “It’s very simple: They have a problem, and I have a solution.”
With chiropractic, there is generally an immediate result that patients notice, explains Dr. Eyford. Generally, people always leave his office feeling better, and that’s what keeps him doing what he’s done for 15 years: helping people feel their best.
Dr. Eyford has many professionals and mentors who have guided and advised him over the years, but he credits the continued success of his business to his leadership team, who he calls the “core 4.” “Without them, we wouldn’t be the business we are,” he affirms.
But the people he owes the most to are his family. “Because of them, I am able to wake up every day and do what I do,” he says. “I have always had a lot of people who believed in me, and that has played a huge role in what you are seeing now.”
The Health Connection THCTacoma.com 253.396.1000
Tacoma Location 601 South Pine Street, Suite 201 Tacoma, Washington 98405
Seattle Location
5429 Russell Street, Suite 300
Seattle, Washington 98107