It is extremely important to get tested because symptoms of HIV can take months and even years to appear. Some people can experience ARS (acute retroviral syndrome) which is often described as “the worst flu ever.” The virus can then lie dormant and symptoms of HIV may not appear for up to 10 years or longer in some cases.

HealthNet People’s Health & Dental Center offers FREE, safe and confidential HIV testing. People’s Health offers “walk-in” services (first come, first served) at 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday’s and 8:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. on Fridays. Tuesday afternoons and all day Wednesday and Thursday are by appointment. To make an appointment or get more information please call (317) 957-2970 or (317) 957-2200.

To find other HIV Testing sites near you, visit hivtest.cdc.gov/.

Today is the day you can TAKE CONTROL.

What was her dream? Oddly enough, it was about giving back to the Near Eastside — the community where she lives and works. She thought to herself, “What can I possibly do to help this neighborhood?” It was as if God himself impressed upon her, “you have the homeless.”

That was her inspiration for “Warming the Heart.” Throughout February she organized a drive at the health center, collecting much-needed items for HealthNet’s Homeless Initiative Program (HIP). For the past 24 years, HIP has assisted thousands of Indianapolis’ homeless into housing, employment and self-sufficiency.

The response from employees was overwhelming. By the end of the month, the team had collected three huge boxes brimming with hats, gloves, coats, blankets, socks, and more for those in need. There was even a knitted scarf handmade by one of the health center’s doctors! Last week they presented the boxes to HIP’s street outreach workers, who were extremely grateful.

Margie readily admits that she has a special place in her heart for the homeless. She remembers being homeless herself, when she first moved to Indianapolis some 40 years ago. As a young woman fleeing an abusive relationship with two young children, she left her hometown and didn’t look back. She stayed at an Indy shelter, and was thankful to find a safe haven from her past.

Margie continues to be very grateful for how things turned out. She met a wonderful man here in Indy. They’ve been happily married for 20 years. And, her two kids are growing and thriving. She knows things could have turned out very differently for them – and for her. Perhaps that’s why helping those who are homeless find a new beginning appeals to her so much.

Margie modeling the hand-knit scarf!

People’s Health & Dental Center, which got its start back in 1971, had a new beginning of sorts last year when the health center moved into a brand new building to be able to offer more health care services for the community. Margie hopes that “Warming the Heart” might grow into a new tradition for the staff. It’s a way for this eastside institution to continue giving back, beyond the health care services it provides every day.

Here’s to new beginnings…And new traditions!

What traditions do you have at your workplace, school, church, alumni group or neighborhood organization? Consider starting a new one! Celebrate the Big 10 tournament this week with friends AND give back to the community. Host a drive. YOU can help us raise $10,000 for HIP by March 10!

• smoking during pregnancy
• infant having two or more siblings
• Medicaid enrollee
• unmarried
• infant low-birth weight
• less than high school education
• teen mother
• short spacing (under 15 months) between pregnancy
• poor pre-natal care
• adverse outcomes in prior pregnancy

Most of these factors are situations that occur BEFORE the child is born and even before pregnancy.

“Children younger than three years of age are the most likely of all children to become involved with Child Welfare Services, and they have the highest rate of victimization and maltreatment among all age groups.”

A child’s “mental health” refers to emotional well-being and positive social development from birth through age 5.  Services for at-risk households are crucial to prevent these young children from being neglected and abused. Promoting early childhood “mental health” through in-home visitation and parenting programs is a key element in preventing abuse and neglect.

This report was mainly done to research the possibilities of taking care of these children after they enter Child Welfare Services.  However, there are organizations out there that provide support for families, mothers, and siblings of newborns. Having the knowledge of where to find support services and resources is crucial to decreasing stress, breaking family history cycles, and increasing preventative measures to further reduce the risk of abuse and neglect.

Better Indy Babies and Healthy Families America are two resources provided by HealthNet throughout the Indianapolis community.  The staff here provide knowledge and support to families and parents who are pregnant or have children from age birth to 3.  You can help these two resources be of greater service to families in need.  Learn more about what tools are out there or donate directly by clicking here.

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Shop at Once Upon a Child?  Want to help the Better Indy Babies program?  Click on our ONCE UPON  A HEALTHY BABY tab to learn about our event on Saturday, January 28th!

Our Better Indy Babies program has partnered with Once Upon a Child to host ONCE UPON A HEALTHY BABY at 6 Indianapolis locations
on January 28!

Shop at any local Once Upon a Child location on Saturday, January 28th and a portion of the proceeds will benefit Better Indy Babies.  Not only is this a great deal for YOUR family, but it is a FANTASTIC deal for other Indianapolis families who participate in our Better Indy Babies program.

Participating Locations are listed below:

1950 E. Greyhound Pass
Village Park Plaza, Suite 13
Carmel, IN 46033

9395 E Washington St
Indianapolis, IN 46229

1204 W 86th Street
Indianapolis, IN 46260

5990 E 71 St
Indianapolis, IN 46220

7409 South US 31
Indianapolis, IN 46227

5678 Crawfordsville Rd.
Speedway, IN 46224

Did you know that Indianapolis has one of the worst infant mortality rates in the country?

Better Indy Babies exists to improve the health status of at-risk pregnant women by providing prenatal education, baby supplies, and a variety of other support services needed to reduce infant mortality rates and the incidence of low birth weight infants.

And this event will allow our BIBs program to reach even more families!

More details to come…So put this on your calendar, tell a friend about it and share it on your Facebook status.

Happy New Year!  We are hitting the ground running… To stay up to date with this event at Once Upon a Child, subscribe to our e-Newsletter and MAKE SURE to check the Better Indy Babies/Healthy Families interest box!

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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How do donors feel about this?  Would there be any businesses that might partner with us to try this?  Would it be worth NOT being able to build a relationship with our donors?

These are tough questions to answer.  With many of our outreach programs running at a deficit and the threat of D.C. cutting health center and Medicaid funding, our organization is really brainstorming on what we can do to assure greater access to care for all Indianapolis residents.  Here are three ways for you to give a care about greater access to health care and support services (we promise, no embedded giving here! This site is completely free to all!)

1. Like us on Facebook – A way to directly see how donations, awareness, and support affect the lives of many in Indianapolis. HealthNet’s Facebook page is a way to hear the stories, see the expansion of buildings, and engage with a community that cares about all Indianapolis residents.
2. Subscribe to this blog (up & to the right) – Doing so will send our blog posts directly to your e-mail inbox!  It’s an easy way to be updated on HealthNet happenings while simply going through your daily routine of checking e-mail.
3. Sign-up to receive our e-newsletter – Our monthly e-newsletter always highlights a different aspect of HealthNet and how it increases support and wrap-around care that is available to Indianapolis residents who need it.  Featuring success stories and staff opinions, our e-newsletter is a great way to stay involved and become a part of the HealthNet team.

Okay, so this may have been toeing the line of embedded giving, but look at it as simply rounding up the much appreciated time you took to read this post by taking three simple steps that will make it easier for us to keep in touch in the future!

THANK YOU for the support you have already shown. We look forward to building a relationship with you and asking for your input rather than just your quarters!

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Blanket Indy With Care –
Supporting our Homeless Initiative Program…

February featured a campaign to raise awareness and support for our Homeless Initiative Program!  The campaign included efforts on the social media front as well as a direct mail piece that may have been sent to your home.  Take a look at our news archive to read what it was all about. A huge thanks to everyone who took a few minutes to support the campaign. You are helping thousands of homeless people in Indy get much-needed care and reach their goals!

Whatever you call ‘em, check ‘em –
A fun spin on a serious subject…

Bebops, Bazooms, Pillows, the Girls… Our Whatever You Call ‘Em, Check ‘em campaign has been ongoing since mid-April to raise awareness about breast health and the importance of regular check-ups and screening mammograms, particularly for women living in poverty.  A fun question posed on Facebook asked “What do YOU call ‘em?”.

Thanks to everyone who encouraged a woman in your life to take care of her “girls,” and to help others do the same. So many social, economic and cultural barriers prevent low-income women from getting a screening mammogram. You ARE making a difference in Indy!

We had many WONDERFUL patient and staff stories about breast cancer
- you can find them here.

Spring Into Action!
Getting residents active on the southeast side…

On Saturday, April 30, HealthNet teamed up with students from the University of Indianapolis to pilot a walking program called Spring Into Action.  Nearly 100 Indianapolis residents participated in the kick-off, a 1-mile fun walk throughout Fountain Square. Participants stopped at certain spots along the route to get their blood pressure checked and body fat estimated.
A great turnout for what will be a great program!  Click here to read more about it.

Social Media Presence
Giving you inside information daily…

Pictures of health center construction on Facebook… What’s up with our Outreach programs with @GiveACareIndy… FQHC Advocacy with @Indy_HealthNet… More detailed info with our e-newsletters!  There are a number of ways to keep up-to-date with what is going on with us!  Sign up for all or sign up for one – you don’t have to just sit and watch. Our social media outlets are here to get YOUR perspective and gain feedback from YOU.  Comment, retweet, and enter a discussion on how we can all give greater care to those who need it most in Indianapolis.