This article was originally published by the Indianapolis Recorder, a Free Press Indiana partner.

By CHLOE McGOWAN, Indianapolis Recorder

The new clinic will be located off East 38th and North Arlington Avenue— right of the IndyGo Purple line — connecting patients with public transportation, walking trails and community plazas. The health center, which was first announced in June 2022, will encompass 95,000 square-feet, making it Eskenazi Health’s largest health center, according to Dr. Kimberly McElroy-Jones, director of community partnerships for Community Health.

“Eskenazi Health makes it a point to focus our initiatives around social determinants of health, which are defined as environmental conditions affecting a community’s health and quality of life,” McElroy-Jones told the Recorder in an email.

The new clinic on the east side of Indianapolis was heavily guided by community input for the planning and design of the building, McElroy-Jones said. It aims to serve as a hub for community gathering — featuring many social amenities under its roof in addition to more accessible primary care, leading to a 20% growth in services, she said.

The new location will serve both new patients and those currently served by Eskenazi Health Center Forest Manor and Eskenazi Health Center North Arlington, according to a June 9, 2022, press release.

McElroy-Jones said the clinic is another way Eskenazi Health can continue to serve Central Indiana’s underserved community — as they have been throughout its 160-year history. By “focusing on the social determinants of health,” McElroy-Jones said Eskenazi Health is able to provide awareness through programs and get to the root of community needs. 

“Eskenazi Health’s goal is to expand and ultimately bring our comprehensive care services to those east-side communities and the Northeast Corridor,” McElroy-Jones said. “This building is supported by community collaboration and an increase of demand. Some of our patients located in that area don’t necessarily have the access to transportation to always journey to our downtown campus, so we want to provide more accessible health care for them.”

In addition to the clinic, McElroy-Jones said Eskenazi Health wants to aid patients in navigating the federal insurance marketplace. With an open enrollment deadline of Jan. 15, 2024, Eskenazi Health will host an open enrollment insurance fair event on Dec. 2. 

The fair will offer financial advisors ready to assist patients in making the best decisions as well as the opportunity for people to ask questions and speak with their financial eligibility services team to discuss benefit options.

“Eskenazi Health is committed to ensuring that everyone has access to affordable health care and navigating the insurance landscape can be overwhelming and confusing,” Nicole Harper, chief financial officer of Eskenazi Health, said in a statement. “We encourage anyone to make an appointment with one of our financial counselors to get the best, most detailed information to assist them in making the most appropriate Marketplace selections available to them.”

The open enrollment fair will take place Dec. 2 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at Eskenazi Health’s Downtown Campus, 720 Eskenazi Ave. To learn more about Eskenazi Health’s new clinic, upcoming programs and initiatives, visit eskenazihealth.edu. For more information about available resources by zip code, visit neighborhoodresources.eskenazihealth.edu.