Strategic plans are underway to meet the growing demands of Eskenazi Health’s dynamic patient population

INDIANAPOLIS, Nov. 13, 2020 – Eskenazi Health has announced plans for continued investments in primary care that include expanding existing Eskenazi Health Center locations with additional exam rooms and increasing access to programs and services.

“Our priority at Eskenazi Health remains the overall health of the community in the broadest possible terms,” said Lisa Harris, M.D., chief executive officer of Eskenazi Health. “Our biggest opportunity to have a positive impact on the health of our patients and the health and vitality of our community is to help people stay well in the first place.”

Recent renovations and improvements have been made at several Eskenazi Health Center locations with additional improvements planned at Eskenazi Health Center Blackburn, Eskenazi Health Center Grassy Creek and Eskenazi Health Center West 38th Street, which will be implemented over the next couple of years.

After a thorough review of patient data, growth patterns and demographics, as well as reviewing existing Eskenazi Health Center buildings to identify areas for improvements and necessary renovations, the Eskenazi Health Center Board of Directors voted on Nov. 10 to maintain the closure of Eskenazi Health Center Cottage Corner, which has been temporarily closed since March due to COVID-19. The decision was made in part due to the age of the building that will require extensive renovations and challenges to meet higher safety standards for current and post COVID-19-era care.

The board vote to permanently close Eskenazi Health Center Cottage Corner will be made official once approval is received from Health Resource and Service Administration (HRSA), the regulatory body who oversees funding provided to Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) locations to provide primary care services in underserved areas.

Over the past several months Eskenazi Health Center staff have had great success implementing an increased use of telehealth and providing services to patients at various Eskenazi Health Center locations. All Eskenazi Health Center Cottage Corner providers and team members who were redeployed to other sites during the temporary closure will remain with the organization and will be relocated to other sites within the Eskenazi Health system.

“Eskenazi Health Center is dedicated to providing comprehensive care and to ensuring that our patients get the best care in the setting most convenient and comfortable to them,” said Dawn Haut, M.D., chief executive officer of Eskenazi Health Center. “These improvements in primary care demonstrate Eskenazi Health’s commitment to meeting patients where they are.”

Eskenazi Health will continue to assist Eskenazi Health Center Cottage Corner patients who are looking for a primary care medical home. A dedicated team will be available to assist patients in choosing the best option for seamlessly continuing their health care.

Eskenazi Health provides primary care services through the Eskenazi Health Center system that has several locations throughout the neighborhoods of Indianapolis. These facilities offer a sliding fee discount program based on household size and income and are open to all regardless of ability to pay. As one of the largest providers of health care services in Indiana, Eskenazi Health is dedicated to providing convenient, high-quality, patient-focused care to all of Marion County and Central Indiana.

To learn more about primary care services at Eskenazi Health, please visit EskenaziHealth.edu.

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For more than 160 years, Eskenazi Health has provided high-quality, cost-effective, patient-centered health care to Central Indiana. Accredited by The Joint Commission, nationally recognized programs include a Level I trauma center, regional burn center, comprehensive senior care program, women’s and children’s services, teen and adolescent care programs, Lifestyle Health & Wellness Center, Sandra Eskenazi Mental Health Center, and a network of primary care sites located throughout the neighborhoods of Indianapolis known as Eskenazi Health Center. In partnership with the Regenstrief Institute, Eskenazi Health conducts groundbreaking work that informs health information technology around the globe. Eskenazi Health also serves as the sponsoring hospital for Indianapolis Emergency Medical Services. As the public hospital division of the Health & Hospital Corporation of Marion County (HHC), Eskenazi Health partners with the Indiana University School of Medicine whose physicians provide a comprehensive range of primary and specialty care services. In 2013, the Sidney & Lois Eskenazi Hospital opened, providing a new modern and efficient facility and becoming Central Indiana’s first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Gold health care campus. Eskenazi Health has been named one of Becker’s Hospital Review’s “150 Top Places to Work in Healthcare” for the past four consecutive years.

CONTACT: Tom Surber
Phone: 317.880.4793
Cell: 317.402.9327
Email: thomas.surber@eskenazihealth.edu