Indy Health District Outlines Future Plans
Indy Health District Celebrates Successes and Outlines Future Plans
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A year since its launch, the Indy Health District has brought the community together to reflect on its successes and preview what’s in store for next year.
The Indy Health District addresses quality of life, bleak job opportunities, and unhealthy food options north of downtown Indianapolis, where IU Health is building a large hospital.
Community members are seeing action in their neighborhoods.
At first, some people shared that they were skeptical of Indy Health District until they saw things happening, such as farmers markets and housing projects.
District resident Denita Hoskins said at a Tuesday gathering, “People will come into your community, and they say they’ll build this for you and do that, but they have no clue what you need. So to have us at the table. And I tell people all the time, make sure you’re at the right table. Because sometimes they put you at the kids’ table and we need to be at the decision-making table for our community.”
That’s the secret sauce to Indy Health District’s success, listening to the community about what it wants and what’s important to it. Executive Director Jamal Smith said, “Our commitment to them is we want to make sure that we were actionable and we would deliver on those things we say we’ll do as long as they gave us the feedback, the input and the patience.”
The Indy Health District covers 1500 acres and five neighborhoods including Crown Hill and Ransom Place. Its goal is to improve the quality of life for its residents. The organization’s director says the people who live in the district die 20 years earlier than their counterparts in Carmel or Fishers, just 8 to 10 miles away.
One reason why: The area lacks a grocery store.
Resident Amee Berry said, “I’m lucky I can get get around no problem, but there are others who cannot. Walkable food source that isn’t the dollar or those kind of stores don’t help people very much.”
The Indy Health District organized the floating farmers market, with more than 1,200 people in attendance. New affordable housing development also broke ground this year. Plus, the Mosaic Center was established to create health care job opportunities for the district.
Cecelia Whitfield, who lives in the area, said, “Everything that Jamal has said he was going to do, they’re doing it, and that’s what keeps us going because it’s one thing to talk and it’s another to see movement. We are moving forward and we see it.”
Even though there was a lot to celebrate, Tuesday’s listening event was one of many in a community series to hear what residents had to say so the organization can better improve the area’s quality of life.
