Avondale Meadows Community Revitalization Successfully Continues With Addition of New Health & Wellness Center
7/10/2012
The Meadows Community Foundation (MCF) announced today the development of a 70,000 square foot Health & Wellness Center in the Avondale Meadows Community on Indianapolis’ northeast side. The nearly $20 million facility is part of a 100-acre neighborhood revitalization within the Meadows area. A groundbreaking celebration for this event and facility is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, July 10th at Avondale Meadows near 38th Street & Meadows Drive.
The new Avondale Meadows Health & Wellness Center will include HealthNet Northeast Health Center—a 18,000 square foot health clinic operated by HealthNet—and a 32,000 square foot YMCA. The Center will provide early learning classrooms for children, as well as youth mentoring and family programs. In addition, the facility will serve as headquarters for the United Northeast Community Development Corporation (UNECDC) and the Meadows Community Foundation (MCF).
John Neighbours, President of Meadows Community Foundation (MCF), said, “The Avondale Meadows Health & Wellness Center will be unlike any in the country. Cutting edge urban healthcare combined with state of the art fitness and education programs will be transformative for this neighborhood and for the broader Indianapolis community. This Health and Wellness facility increases the recent investment in Avondale Meadows to nearly $70,000,000. Moreover, the building will be environmentally sustainable with an expected LEED Silver designation.”
Avondale Meadows has been designated a Medically Underserved Area (MUA) by the U.S. Health and Human Services Department. The Avondale Meadows Health & Wellness Center will assist more than 16,000 people who live in the area and are at or below the federal poverty level. Funding partners include the City of Indianapolis (New Market Tax Credits), the United Way of Central Indiana, IU Health, the YMCA of Greater Indianapolis, Methodist Health Foundation, Health & Hospital Corporation of Marion County, Chase Bank and Purpose Built Communities.
The groundbreaking ceremony will include an overview of the new Avondale Meadows Health & Wellness Center and brief remarks from several prominent community partners and supporters including Booker Thomas of HealthNet, Eric Ellsworth of the YMCA of Greater Indianapolis, Greg Giornelli of Purpose Built Communities, Ellen Annala of United Way of Central Indiana and Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard.
“This innovative health and wellness center will provide outstanding services and resources to the Avondale Meadows Community,” said Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard. “The holistic redevelopment approach demonstrates how public, private and non-profit entities can work together to achieve revitalization and stability in a community, and our success will serve as a model for other cities.”
“It’s hard to believe that it was a little over a year and a half ago that HealthNet was invited by IU Health to become a part of this unique collaboration,” said HealthNet’s retiring President/CEO Booker Thomas. “I would like to personally thank IU Health and the Methodist Health Foundation. It is because of the ongoing commitment and the financial support of both organizations that a health center was able to be included in this project. We look forward to working with residents in the coming months to tailor the health center’s services to the specific needs of this community.”
Avondale Meadows is one of several developments around the country that have partnered with Purpose Built Communities based in Atlanta, GA. The organization – founded by Tom Cousins, Julian Robertson and Warren Buffett – seeks to reduce crime and rebuild and redevelop neighborhoods in economically disadvantaged communities. The Avondale Meadows development closely follows successful models established in Atlanta and New Orleans.
LINKS TO OTHER PURPOSE BUILT COMMUNITIES:
http://www.eastlake.org
http://www.eastlakefoundation.org
http://www.eastlakegolfclub.com
http://www.bayoudistrictfoundation.org
http://purposebuiltcommunities.org
ABOUT AVONDALE MEADOWS:
Avondale Meadows is the revival of an historic 100-acre site that will transform the Meadows area into a safe, sustainable, holistic community. This multi-phase revitalization includes a wide variety of amenities for residents of all income levels.
These amenities include townhomes and single-family homes, mixed-income apartments, a 70,000 sq. ft. health & wellness center, a grocery store and retail shopping, three award-winning educational institutions, a five-acre active use park, and numerous social and human services.