A $100 million investment by Indiana University Health plans to address the social determinants of health that affect individuals living in the state.
This money, will go into the Community Impact Investment Fund. It will fund yearly initiatives aimed at addressing social risk factors that impact patients living across Indiana.
Dennis Murphy, president and CEO of IU Health said that health care must go beyond treatments in a medical setting. This new fund will help IU Health’s mission to make Indiana a healthier place, by accumulating financial and other resources to combat negative social determinants of health, such as substandard housing, lack of education and literacy, poor lifestyle habits and adverse childhood experiences.
IU Health is planning to invest in programs falling into one of the four major buckets, including healthy living, educational attainment, workforce development, and local initiatives to address poverty and improve neighborhoods.
The Fund’s first beneficiaries will include a program to tackle infant mortality. A $1 million award given over three years will push healthy family education and work to drive access to contraceptives at low or no cost.
Just over $1 million in funding over three years will go to an opioid crisis diversion center aiming to deliver higher quality care for individuals experiencing an opioid-related crisis. Most of the times these individuals are sent to jails or inpatient mental health facilities. This center aims at providing more holistic, person centered care.
The third IU Health beneficiaries will aim at addressing social isolation through faith-based community organizations and community health partnerships. Faith communities in Marion County and neighboring communities will work to address the needs of individuals experiencing social isolation, depression, anxiety or loss by using $1.37 million over three years.
Finally, IU Health will award $1 million over three years to the Muncie Neighborhood Impact Project, which is working to revitalize the Thomas Park-Avondale and South Central neighborhoods in southeast Muncie.