IU Health leaders share their vision for a healthier Fort Wayne

Although the opening of the Indiana University Health Fort Wayne hospital is still two years away, civic and community leaders got a demonstration of the passion the health system is already bringing to the region at an April 15 event at The Pearl Event Center.

IU Health Fort Wayne President Brian Bauer and IU Health President and CEO Dennis Murphy outlined for attendees IU Health’s vision for a healthier Indiana as well as the health system’s investments in the state’s second largest city and its broader plans for the northeast region. Murphy added that IU Health’s deliberate growth in Fort Wayne grew from an invitation.

“Several years ago, local leaders like you asked IU Health to consider entering the Fort Wayne market,” Murphy said. “We were grateful for the invitation, and we were excited to say yes.”

The impact of that invitation extends beyond the walls of healthcare facilities, Murphy noted, to include considerable philanthropic investments. For example, more than $3.81 million dollars from the Community Impact Investment Fund are working through partnerships with local organizations to improve infant and maternal health outcomes, support workforce development initiatives for local immigrant and refugee populations, and more.

Longtime Fort Wayne neurologist Dr. Jim Stevens took the stage along with his daughter, Dr. Kathryn Nevel, who specializes in neuro-oncology at IU Health and IU School of Medicine in Indianapolis. The physicians described their family’s deep roots in Fort Wayne and shared their excitement for the opportunities an IU Health hospital will offer to the community they love.

IU Health Foundation President and IU Health Senior Vice President of Philanthropy Crystal Miller closed the event by encouraging attendees to play an active role in the new hospital and the healthcare initiatives that will surround it.

“Your generosity can help IU Health continue to bridge the healthcare gaps in Fort Wayne and provide care for those who otherwise wouldn’t have access to it,” Miller said. “As Indiana’s only academic health system and its largest healthcare network, we have a powerful opportunity – and a great responsibility – to lead in improving the health of Hoosiers. But we can only do that work with help from you and your organizations.”

To learn more about how philanthropy is reshaping healthcare in Northeast Indiana and beyond, visit allthedifferencein.org. To get involved, contact IU Health Foundation Regional Director of Philanthropy Diane Buzzell at dbuzzell@iuhealth.org or 812.322.4129.