IU Health Arnett improving community assets

Indiana University Health Arnett team members cleaned and did fall yard work and maintenance for Home with Hope during their annual Day of Service.

Throughout September, IU Health team member will help with a variety of projects during Day of Service events. Day of Service is an opportunity for team members to trade in their usual tools (stethoscopes, laptops and pens) for shovels, paint brushes and hammers.

Home with Hope provides a continuum of care, often following primary treatment or detox for alcoholism and other drug addictions, for men and women age 18 and older. Home with Hope helps clients learn how to live their lives as productive members of the community, free from addiction and substance abuse, by providing an environment conducive to recovery.

In its 2018 community health needs assessment, IU Health Arnett identified substance abuse as a priority health need for our community and has been partnering with community organizations to increase community capacity to respond to increased substance use needs, including prevention, treatment and recovery.

“Our team members are committed to launching innovative efforts to fight the rising substance abuse issues,” stated Dan Neufelder, president of IU Health Arnett. “Today we are helping an organization that supports long-term recovery efforts and programs by providing an updated space for their clients to socialize inside and outside.”

IU Health Arnett team members also be installed natural playground elements at Bauer Family Resources Early Care and Education at their location in the Northend Community Center to encourage children to be more active.

These natural installations provide young children with the opportunity to explore nature through safe play. Elements like mud kitchens, water tables, outdoor chalkboard / painting easels, sensory tables and raised gardens can all be included in natural playgrounds.

More than 31 percent of adult Hoosiers are obese—and, frighteningly—nearly 15 percent of 2-4-year-olds from low-income families already are obese. Physical activity is crucial to helping children and adults alike attain and maintain a healthy weight.

Bauer Family Resources works with families with limited resources who seek guidance and opportunities to improve the quality of life for their children. The Early Care and Education is a Head Start program that promotes school readiness by enhancing social, cognitive, language and physical development of children ages 6 weeks to age 5.