Open Door prepares to open new doors

Open Door Health Services plans to open up a primary healthcare facility at the site of the old Lincoln Elementary School in south Muncie. The facility plans to offer pediatric services, family planning, and behavioral and primary healthcare.

Open Door is a federally qualified health center. It receives federal support to ensure it can take care of those who are uninsured or low-income with insurance who cannot afford services. 

Muncie Habitat for Humanity purchased the property in 2019 to serve as a land bank, or holding entity, within the 8Twelve Coalition for potential future community service spaces in south Muncie neighborhoods. 

“That was such a visible and important part of our neighborhood that we wanted to make sure that we were able to help answer what happened next with it,” said Jena Ashby, convener of the 8Twelve Coalition and director of impact and programs for Muncie Habitat for Humanity.

Open Door bought the land from Habitat in January 2021. This lot will house Open Door’s sixth health care facility in Muncie.

South Muncie has very few primary healthcare facilities, despite residents’ growing need for healthcare. Neighborhood revitalization focuses on resident-listening to prioritize their concerns for higher quality of life, including access to education, affordable housing, healthcare and more. 

“They felt like for their neighborhood to be a place that had high quality of life, they needed to have access to healthcare,” Ashby said. “But one of the things they said they didn’t have was access to healthcare.”

Residents in low-income areas are more likely to experience poor health because of a lack of resources that define their standard of living. South Muncie has higher rates of hypertension, diabetes, obesity and substance abuse, which Open Door hopes to address with this new facility. 

Right next to the future Open Door facility is the Rosebud Coffee House. Providing space for social gathering and interaction builds community and increases residents’ quality of life.  

“In this community there is a very high percentage of individuals who don’t have personal transportation, and until the coffee shop was here, there was really not a place for them to even walk to,” said Bryan Ayars, CEO and president of Open Door Health Services. “So there was a greater sense of isolation, so that was our push for the coffee shop.”

People don’t tend to consider isolation when thinking of various health outcomes, but there is a correlation there, Ayars said.  

The intersection of Hoyt and Memorial is a focus area for 8Twelve and its partners to provide space for community gathering. 

“The goal is really to create some energy in the community that the residents can feel, as well as those who aren’t local [to] the neighborhood, can feel as well,” Ayars said. “Generate some economic opportunities, and really be able to spark some rejuvenation.”

Construction on the new Open Door health facility is set to begin in spring of 2022. 

Emily Katz is a reporter for a Ball State University news immersion class.   Open Door Health Services is an IPR underwriter.