Eskenazi Health Foundation gives $2 million to support public health

IU

INDIANAPOLIS — A $2 million gift from the Eskenazi Health Foundation will help emergency physicians at Indiana University School of Medicine develop innovative ways to serve the city's most vulnerable residents and address public health problems that drive patients to the emergency room.The gift is endowed and will provide ongoing funding for an IU faculty member to conduct research, design community outreach programs, and train future emergency physicians. The faculty member will be an emergency medicine physician who practices at Eskenazi Health, one of the nation’s largest safety net health systems.
"Particularly at Eskenazi Health, we know that our patients have needs that extend well beyond acute care," said Cherri D. Hobgood, MD, chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine and a practicing emergency medicine physician. "This gift will not only allow us to improve treatment in the ED, but it will also enable us to find effective ways to connect patients with essential services once they are discharged and facilitate the delivery of care outside the walls of the emergency department."
IU School of Medicine-affiliated emergency physicians across the state see more than 400,000 patients a year, more than 90,000 of whom are at Eskenazi Health in Indianapolis. They have a long record of collaborating with hospital, government and community partners to address an array of public health concerns. 

“IU School of Medicine and Eskenazi Health have partnered to improve health care in Central Indiana for more than 100 years. As we explored how to broaden this relationship, the Eskenazi Health Foundation looked for ways we could help enhance research, community outreach and train the next generation of emergency medicine physicians,” said Ernest Vargo II, CFRE, president and CEO of the Eskenazi Health Foundation.  
For example, the Michael & Susan Smith Emergency Department at Eskenazi Health — like many hospital emergency departments across the country — has seen a surge in patients who have overdosed ...

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