Community Connections — Caring for the Whole Health of the East Side

The life expectancy on Indianapolis’ east side is 7.5 years less than on the north side, less than 12 miles away.

It takes more than a hospital to turn those statistics around and build a stronger foundation for lasting health. It takes cooperation between caregivers, community-based organizations and neighbors to work together and address unmet needs.

For Community Hospital East, it takes our commitment to the east side to a new level — and we call it Community Connections.

Raising the Standard of Care

If we want to improve health on the east side, we have to take care of the whole person. Community Connections works with local organizations on the east side of Indianapolis to address unmet health-related social needs.

By partnering with community centers, food banks and shelters, we can improve lives beyond the scope of medical care. Housing instability, food insecurity, utility limitations, interpersonal violence and transportation access aren’t just factors that affect a person’s lifelong health — they’re our duty to address as caregivers.

Central to that duty are our Community Health Advocates. When patients come into the emergency room they are screened in-person or over the phone when they are discharged. Often those conversations reveal more than an x-ray ever could.

Poor recovery doesn’t always signal a medical complication. It might mean they’re working several jobs and still can’t afford to put nutritious food on the table. Or it might mean they’re facing isolation and loneliness, which have been proven to have a significant effect on a person’s physical and emotional well-being.

Whatever the root cause, Community Health Advocates get to the heart of their health. Our Advocates reach out to thousands of our east side neighbors every month to uncover their real needs and connect them to community resources to put them on a healthier path.

Together with local partners, we’re raising the standard for health on the east side. Through hot meals at churches and food pantries. Through shelters to provide a warm place to sleep at night. And through neighborhood associations, so we keep our finger on the pulse of issues facing the community we serve.

Through Community Connections, we reach out beyond our hospital walls to be better caregivers and better neighbors. Because your community should always stand by your whole health.