• 25% of the homeless in Indy are women fleeing from domestic violence??
• 17% of Indy’s homeless are veterans??

HealthNet’s Homeless Initiative Program (HIP) recently launched an Open Doors With Care campaign in the hopes to raise $10,000 by March 10^th to help Indianapolis’ homeless get back on their feet.

Open Doors with Care

As one of the largest and most comprehensive programs for the homeless in the state, HIP provides a network of services to treat the whole person, as he or she moves from homelessness into housing, employment and self-sufficiency.

Last year, HIP served 3,229 homeless men, women and children and with your help we can change those numbers for the better! And, it does not take much to make a difference!

A gift of….

• $40 provides a homeless individual with two weeks’ worth of bus passes to get back and forth to a new job until they receive their first paycheck.
• $100 buys school uniforms, school supplies, and a toy for a homeless child.
• $500 provides a family with their first month of rent on a standard two-bedroom apartment.
• $1000 provides tuition for Certified Nursing Assistance (CNA) training and certification.

Help us Open Doors but donating here…

Help us reach our goal of $10,000 by March 10^th!!
Tell your friends about it –

At a time when health centers are seeing ever increasing demand for their services in rural and urban communities across the country, we are grateful that Congress has responded with this bipartisan bill which begins to address that need!
– Tom Van Coverden, President & CEO of NACHC.

Congress passed the
2012 Omnibus Appropriations Act!

But what is even more exciting than them actually passing it, is that the Health Centers Program will be funded at $2.78 billion!  Totaling an increase of $200 million.

With only 12 days left until 2012, this is great news to hear.  Not only will all current federal funding be kept for current health centers, but the funding increase will allow greater access to health care for more than 1.5 million additional Americans.

Outside look of NEW Barrington... set to open - March 2012

An interesting tidbit from NACHC’s press release – An estimated 60 million Americans — many of whom have health insurance — do not have access to primary medical care because of a shortage of providers in their communities.

HealthNet has benefitted from federal funding in the past, as we have been able to open doors to a new Southwest Health & Dental Center, a new People’s Health & Dental Center, and our Eastside Health Center, as well as build a new Barrington set to open early in 2012.

This maintaining of federal funding ensures us the ability to continue to provide primary and preventative care to Hoosiers in Marion County and look to the future of possible expansion into areas where health care is still a need.  As said above and in NACHC’s statement, many citizens HAVE health insurance but are simply UNABLE to access care.

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Grassroots advocacy DOES WORK, even with a down economy and political tension in the air. 
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Enjoy your holiday season, but be sure to join us in picking up where we left off once we turn the corner into 2012 and an electoral year!

We’d like for you to meet them too:

Left to Right: Sammie, Tonya, Jason, Rachel

• Sammie was 14 years old and expecting her first child. Scared. Overwhelmed. She knew she had a lot to learn. Now, thanks to a little mentoring, she’s been able to give little Isabelle a great start in life. Check out how.
  
• Tonya went from no house and no job to “Employee of the Month.” Learn how.
• Like many, Jason started smoking as a teenager. It wasn’t until the birth of his first grandchild that he finally made the decision to quit once and for all. Jason gave up smoking to get more time with his grandson. Read how he kicked a lifelong habit.
• Rachel grew up in a neighborhood where alcohol abuse, drug abuse and violence were the norm. She wanted a better environment for herself and her son. But it was a long road to a healthier life. Rachel’s home visitor never gave up. Neither did Rachel. Read their story.

It was great getting to know Sammie, Tonya, Jason and Rachel. We hope you enjoy reading their stories, and other encouraging ones, in our online 2010-2011 Annual Report.

The theme of the report — “Open Doors With Care”—has remained at the heart of HealthNet’s work since our beginnings in 1968 in Fountain Square. And, it’s how and why HealthNet has become what it is today—the largest Federally Qualified Health Center in Indiana, with more than 500 staff members, serving more than 50,000 patients and clients through 20 sites across Marion County and beyond.

We know that staying healthy encompasses so much more than a doctor’s visit for many of our neighbors.  From bus passes to get to a new job until that first paycheck comes; to mentoring a single mother learning to care for her newborn; to coaching a homeless veteran to self-sufficiency; to helping a retiree obtain prescriptions he can’t afford, HealthNet plays a vital role in opening doors for people who need care.

So we invite you to click, flip and read all about what HealthNet has been up to this past year! And share it with your friends. It’s all because YOU opened doors and gave a care. Thank you for your continued support. Together, we can make a difference in the lives of thousands of families in Indianapolis.

“The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live.” Flora Whittemore

If you’re just learning about us, you can open doors with care too. Support one of our programs or services you’ve just read about!