Building a Healthier Future Together: Optimus Primary’s Impact on Healthcare Workforce Development
Last month, representatives of local healthcare organizations, higher education institutions, K-12 education, and public health gathered at the E. B. and Bertha C. Ball Center to share updates on efforts to make Muncie one of the state’s premiere centers for medical education.
Since its inception in 2016, Optimus Primary—an initiative dedicated to advancing healthcare education and workforce development in the region—has united Muncie’s unique network of healthcare institutions with the shared goal of strengthening healthcare workforce training and retention in East Central Indiana.
Grantee Spotlight: Q&A on Medical Education in East Central Indiana
For the past eight years, local healthcare providers and colleges/universities have been working together to build East Central Indiana’s reputation as a statewide leader in medical education. The region’s medical school, largest hospitals, rural clinics, urban neighborhood centers, nursing schools, and others are reimagining healthcare training in ways that have the potential to change the future of healthcare delivery.
Grantee Spotlight: Ivy Tech Launches Sonography Training Program, Cementing Muncie as a Community of Opportunity for Healthcare Workers
In the height of the COVID pandemic, Ivy Tech Community College jumped at the chance to respond to a need identified by IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital: the need for sonography technicians. Sonography technicians play a critical role in helping to identify blood clots, heart disease, and more.
Optimus Primary grants propel Muncie’s medical training programs beyond pandemic
Especially evidenced by the pandemic, there is value in having a united, collaborative network of healthcare entities within a community. Recognizing this value, Ball Brothers Foundation has been funding a strategic partnership of healthcare anchor institutions in the community since 2016.
‘The future of medicine’: Local partnership enhances Muncie as one of the state’s leading medical hubs
According to Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Delaware County has the fourth-highest number of primary care physicians per capita in the state—a ranking that should mean the county is one of the healthiest. But it’s not.
BBF Grants Promote Innovation in Healthcare Training and in Local Schools
Ball Brothers Foundation (BBF) awarded more than $3.2 million in grants to over 30 organizations in its first grantmaking round of the year. The grants were approved during the foundation’s board meeting in May.
2017 Annual Report
Pushing the Boundaries
Among the highlights of 2017:
We topped last year’s record-setting grants payout by awarding $7.3 million to nonprofit organizations in Muncie, Delaware County, and East Central Indiana.
Ball Brothers Foundation Awards $500,000 to Strengthen Medical Education in Muncie
A series of grants totaling $500,000 is helping to reshape how future doctors are trained in Muncie. BBF awarded grants for the effort to four partnering institutions: IU School of Medicine-Muncie, IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital Foundation, Ball State University, and Meridian Health Services.