They would organize to bring about something that hadn’t been done before in their neighborhood: the availability of affordable, quality health care for people who needed it, but didn’t have access to it.

To reach their dream, they tirelessly hosted endless fundraiser rummage sales and fish frys.

They even pushed a piano down the street once, just to make a sale!

Artwork by Julia Allen

In 1972, their dream became a reality when they had raised enough money to purchase an old drug store on West Morris Street and convert it into a small, but much needed health center. Several served on the health center’s Board of Directors. Over the years, they have continued their fight to keep health services in their neighborhood. Today Southwest Health & Dental Center remains HealthNet’s busiest health center.

In fact, when the center reached capacity about five years ago, the Southwest Health Center Board made the final pledge to complete the fundraising campaign for an expansion. In 2010, the health center reopened in its new home, a 103-year-old Masonic Lodge beautifully renovated by Halstead Architects and Wurster Construction.

The greatness of the neighborhood group’s dream resided not as much in its originality—other health centers had begun popping up around the country a few years before—as in the ownership these folks took in it.  In doing so, they opened doors for their community – doors to health, hope and a better future for their families.

This community spirit has been the genesis for all of HealthNet’s health centers, and has  remained at the heart of our work ever since. And it is the most salient explanation of how and why HealthNet has become what it is today—the largest Federally Qualified Health Center in Indiana, with more than 584 staff members, serving more than 51,500 patients and clients through many sites across Marion County and beyond.

This year, Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) is honoring neighborhood visionaries and important projects in our city as part of their Vision 20/20 anniversary celebration. Guess who was among the first to be highlighted? The Southwest side residents who started Southwest Health & Dental Center some 44 years ago. Check out this video!

As we wrap up a month-long focus on giving a care about hopes and dreams, we salute our founders who had the vision and fortitude to make their dreams a reality for their neighborhoods! And, we thank LISC for being a great community partner in our communities.

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What’s next for Indy neighborhoods? What will it take to make them great? Good question. If you have hopes and dreams for YOUR neighborhood, be a part of the discussion. Check out the public conversation series LISC is hosting this fall.

It is common knowledge that HOPES & DREAMS are rumbling desires waiting to burst from the hearts of every one of us to form as a pleasant reality in our lives.

These desires that lay within our hearts are not there for us alone, but also for the others we love and care for as well.  We are human, and we are all always HOPING for a better way and DREAMING for more, more, more.

Self-proclaimed realists feel that things like HOPES & DREAMS are what fairy tales are made of, but often fail to understand they are all that some people have in their lives to hold on to.

The fact is, not everyone is the same! There are people living without the luxuries that most have and take for granted in their day to day lives like an education, family support and guidance, the ability to work, or the ability to just socialize. I’m sure there are not enough fingers and toes to count the reasons or critical areas people are found to be less fortunate, but I do know several cling to their HOPES & DREAMS just to survive.

Without help from the HealthNet staff many people would not know how to even take the first step to fulfilling their own HOPES & DREAMS.

For instance, a family of four with two children who spent a majority of their childhood with an absent father due to his decade-long addiction to pain medicine. Their father lived in the same home with them, but was emotionally unavailable to them. Their fragile hearts and innocent minds needed what was missing from a strong father figure.

If it were not for the attentive care of the Behavioral Health team and the BIBs & Healthy Families staff, the children’s HOPES & DREAMS of ever having a happy family with a drug-free father would not be a reality today. Today this family is still working diligently to build on what they’ve lacked for so long, but continue to do so with loving hearts, and open minds.

HOPES & DREAMS can take many forms — some are external, material things and others are intrinsic and character-based — but none are more or less important than another.

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What are your biggest hopes and dreams for YOUR family today?

The first half of the year really has been a load of content that mixed some patient and staff stories along with our thoughts on current events that have occurred locally, state-wide, and even nationally. 

However, I think it is time to properly introduce ourselves, and that will happen in this four-day blog series ‘4 Days until July 4^th weekend’. 

This series will give you the gist of HealthNet, Inc.’s outreach programs that really bring wrap-around services to our network of health centers.

Now without further adieu,
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Part One: Homeless Initiative Program….

Since 1988, our Homeless Initiative Program (that hopefully you will grow to know as ‘HIP’) has helped thousands of Indianapolis’ homeless by providing a network of services to treat the whole person, as he or she moves from homelessness into employment, housing, and self-sufficiency. 

HIP’s mission is to assist homeless persons in reaching a level of self-sufficiency consistent with their goals and capabilities for physical, mental, social and economic well-being.

And to stick with the number 4, here are four things you need to know about HIP:

1. HIP serves nearly 3,300 homeless individuals per year.Through a wide array of services that include employment and training, case management, triage/outreach, health care services, and a homeless veterans reintegration program, HIP gives a care about the specific needs of the individual on a case-by-case basis.
2. HIP is one of the largest, most comprehensive homeless programs in the state.HIP staff work closely with other providers around the city to continuously stay up-to-date on all community resources available for homeless individuals.  HIP builds partnerships that work because ending homelessness is a team effort.

    

3. Persistent staff work tirelessly on a case-by-case basis.I can’t put the right amount of emphasis on this in two sentences. So, here are two links to previous blogs:
   - Jeff Smith, a homeless veteran who became an alcoholic and was convicted of forgery, received a second chance because of the persistent effort of his biggest advocates — the HIP staff
   - Ricky Wallace, a homeless veteran who wanted to help his ailing parents, moved to Indy thinking he could crash with a friend. But his plans fell through.  HIP helped Ricky find emergency housing and now he is living his dream as a chef.
4. There are plenty of ways to get involved.Here are just a few examples of how you can help prevent and end homelessness without a monetary donation.  However, donations are accepted and much appreciated because of the continual struggle to find funding for homeless services each year!  Also, time is money. Call here to learn about volunteer opportunities with HIP.

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Want to learn more about HIP?
Are there specific questions that you have about homelessness in Indy?
Comment below!
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Here are some healthy ideas for celebrating this fun holiday:

1. Walk the parade route. The parade kicks off at North and Pennsylvania streets at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, March 17, and ends at Vermont and Meridian streets.
2. Go green. Skip the car and walk or ride bikes to the day’s destinations whenever possible. Our friends at SustainIndy and the IBJ can help you get started! 
3. Eat greens today. Leafy vegetables such as kale, spinach and Romaine lettuce pack in vitamins, iron and fiber. Or, try adding broccoli snap peas or cabbage to potato, rice or noodle dishes.
4. Skip the sweet treats slathered in green frosting. For a healthier green treat, try lime gelatin or add mint flavoring to sugar free vanilla pudding, along with a few drops of green food coloring.
5. Enjoy some healthy St. Patrick’s Day fun with your kids!
6. Don’t leave your health to the luck of the Irish. HealthNet’s Health Promotions offers FREE one-on-one nutrition counseling and FREE personal coaching on how to quit smoking. Make an appointment at the health center nearest you.
7. Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day by making Indy a healthier place to live! Last year, HealthNet’s Health Promotions program assisted more than 6,000 in our community with services like free cervical cancer screenings, nutrition and tobacco cessation counseling, and childbirth classes. With your help, they can do even more.

BUT!! Don’t forget FOUR great things about our Health Promotions team!

1. Nutrition & Diet – Our Clinical Dietician is here to help people learn how eat healthy, lose weight, control their cholesterol and SO MUCH MORE!  It is hard for anyone to eat healthy but even HARDER when you don’t have many choices.  Eating healthy on a budget is Karen’s strong suit. She will make sure you get on the road to success.
2. Tobacco Cessation – QUIT SMOKING!! We have a VERY persistent Tobacco Cessation Counselor who will exhaust every strategy in the book to find a way for her patients to stop smoking.  (Read a success story in a previous post).  It really all boils down to the individual’s commitment to quit, but Stacey will make sure that you have every tool possible to keep from lighting up again!
3. Pregnancy & Childbirth – Newly pregnant?  Whether it is a patient’s first pregnancy or FOURTH, all who participate in our childbirth or breastfeeding classes will benefit in some way. Our 5-week childbirth classes surround patients with others who are sharing the same experience.  Expectant moms learn helpful tips during their pregnancy and take a tour of the Methodist Hospital Labor and Delivery unit. Carlene makes it her job to help our patients be prepared for this new stage in their life.
4. Community Outreach – Whether it is a Health Fair or piloting a new walking program (more to come), our Health Promotions team is always thinking of great ways to engage our patients in preventive care.  It is our job to help patients take ownership of their own health, because their lives are busy and at times VERY stressful. Illness can only increase stress and cause greater difficulty in treatment.

In the middle of all of this “MADNESS,” we want to recognize the great work done by our Health Promotions team.  Who also needs YOUR help! All pregnancy classes, smoking counseling, and nutrition help are free to our community.  A quick donation can go a long way in order for our team to continue and INCREASE their success in the most underserved areas of our community.

Consider a $25 gift to Health Promotions to keep them in our centers and increasing the health of our neighborhoods!