Eskenazi Health celebrates groundbreaking for new east side health center

INDIANAPOLIS, June 9, 2022 - Eskenazi Health and Health & Hospital Corporation of Marion County have announced a more than $50 million investment in capital improvements to primary care facilities across Marion County, including construction of a new state-of-the-art health center opening in 2024 on the east side of Indianapolis.

Eskenazi Health leadership said the expansion of primary care services is supported by community collaboration and driven by increased demand for services. Dedicated to providing convenient, high-quality, patient-centered and culturally humble care to all of Marion County and Central Indiana, the new consolidated East 38th Street location will allow for 20 percent growth in services through more than 30,000 additional annual visits.

“At Eskenazi Health, we know our greatest opportunity to improve the health and vitality of our patients and, by extension, the health and vitality of our community, lies in providing access to care that encompasses the whole person and the many factors contributing to good health. Primary care physicians, nurses and staff are at the very heart of this commitment,” said Lisa Harris, M.D., chief executive officer of Eskenazi Health.

Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett said the Eskenazi Health investment will have a great impact on neighborhoods throughout Indianapolis. “This investment further proves Eskenazi Health’s continued dedication to Indianapolis and to serving our entire community, including our most vulnerable neighbors,” he said. “Our city thanks you for your tireless efforts in improving the health and wellness of all.”

“As they have for more than a century and a half, Eskenazi Health professionals continue to keep ‘care’ as the focus of every health care interaction,” said Gov. Eric Holcomb. “With this state-of-the art expansion, I couldn’t be more thrilled that more Hoosiers will have access to the accessible physical and mental health care services they provide.”

“Today’s groundbreaking along East 38th Street represents a significant boost to the community and our city,” said U.S. Congressman André Carson. “Eskenazi Health and its network of neighborhood health centers offer a vital link for so many people to important health care and community resources.”

The new health center will welcome new patients and those currently served by Eskenazi Health Center Forest Manor and Eskenazi Health Center North Arlington. Eskenazi Health is collaborating with members of the immediate neighborhoods and community organizations throughout the planning and design of the building. Guided by community input, the facility will serve as a hub for community gathering, providing accessible care options and social amenities under one roof. In addition, Eskenazi Health will renovate and upgrade other primary care facilities in its network of care. Some of these enhancements are already in progress.

“These improvements in primary care are part of Eskenazi Health’s mission to meet patients where they are,” said Paul Babcock, president and chief executive officer of Health & Hospital Corporation of Marion County. “Our investment in the community goes beyond this new health center to include support for existing facilities across Marion County.”

This latest investment will be a neighborhood health and community center providing increased access to a wide variety of services in partnership with Sandra Eskenazi Mental Health Center, the Marion County Public Health Department, and an array of community organizations.

“Eskenazi Health Center East 38th Street will see the integration of Marion County Public Health Department services within its walls allowing for expanded reach and improved access for the residents of Marion County,” said Virginia Caine, M.D., director and chief medical officer of the Marion County Public Health Department. “Identifying the challenges and assessing the risks and protective factors confronting our community and this neighborhood have been central to the development of the new health center.”

The new health center will be highly accessible, located along East 38th Street and near the IndyGo Purple Line which connects patients to public transportation, walking trails and community plazas. The new facility will transform a former paved space into green space making it a premier destination for local community events and recreational activities.

“Our purpose is to build communities and improve the quality of life in our neighborhoods, and that is exactly what this new Eskenazi Health Center site is going to do for the east side of Indianapolis,” said Ashley Gurvitz, executive director and chief executive officer for the Alliance for Northeast Unification. “We’re excited to be a part of this new project and to see the positive impact it will have on our community.”

For more than 160 years, Eskenazi Health has served Indianapolis by investing in improvements that best meet the needs of patients and enhance the community’s quality of life. Eskenazi Health Center East 38th Street is the second primary care center built under the Eskenazi Health name since the opening of Eskenazi Health Center West 38th Street in October 2013. The 95,000-square-foot health center will be the most innovative and community-minded facility to offer expanded services to the east side of Indianapolis.

“We provide comprehensive and inclusive care to our patients and recognize this includes both physical and mental health care,” said Dawn Haut, M.D., chief executive officer of Eskenazi Health Center, the primary care division of Eskenazi Health and a federally qualified health center. “Our primary care team ensures patients receive the full realm of care they need, in the setting most comfortable and convenient to them.”

In 2021, Eskenazi Health provided care through 284,842 outpatient primary care visits with 89,549 unique patients receiving care through the health system. Eskenazi Health provides primary care services through the Eskenazi Health Center system that has several locations throughout the neighborhoods of Indianapolis. These facilities offer a sliding fee discount program based on household size and income and are open to all regardless of ability to pay. As one of the largest providers of health care services in Indiana, Eskenazi Health is dedicated to providing convenient, high-quality, patient-focused care to all of Marion County and Central Indiana.

“Eskenazi Health is not only committed to providing the best care but also to treating each patient as a unique individual with unique interests and concerns,” said Jessica Barth, chairperson for the Eskenazi Health Center Board of Directors. “This investment will allow us to further our mission to provide holistic care.”

“Eskenazi Health continues to invest in resources, research and tools that we hope will offer the greatest benefit to our patients. Our commitment to more convenient care and treatment advancements is at the forefront of what is needed for the community. And for that, I am proud to be a part of this system,” said Robert Lazard, chairperson for the Board of Trustees for Health & Hospital Corporation of Marion County.

To learn more about primary care services at Eskenazi Health, please visit EskenaziHealth.edu/primary-care.

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For more than 160 years, Eskenazi Health has provided high-quality, cost-effective, patient-centered health care to Central Indiana. Accredited by The Joint Commission, nationally recognized programs include a Level I trauma center, regional burn center, comprehensive senior care program, women’s and children’s services, teen and adolescent care programs, Lifestyle Health & Wellness Center, Sandra Eskenazi Mental Health Center, and a network of primary care sites located throughout the neighborhoods of Indianapolis known as Eskenazi Health Center. Eskenazi Health also serves as the sponsoring hospital for Indianapolis Emergency Medical Services. As the public hospital division of the Health & Hospital Corporation of Marion County (HHC), Eskenazi Health partners with the Indiana University School of Medicine whose physicians provide a comprehensive range of primary and specialty care services. In 2013, the Sidney & Lois Eskenazi Hospital opened, providing a new modern and efficient facility and becoming Central Indiana’s first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Gold health care campus.