Shaping the Next Generation of Healthcare in East Central Indiana
In East Central Indiana, the future of healthcare is being built close to home. Over the past eight years, a growing network of hospitals, colleges and universities, and community partners has worked to strengthen the healthcare workforce pipeline—connecting education, training, and clinical practice so local students can pursue meaningful careers while helping improve community health.
Grantee Spotlight: Q&A with IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital COO
Ball Memorial Hospital has long been shaped by strong local leadership and a deep commitment to the communities it serves.
Local leadership in Muncie remains central to the hospital’s work. Kreigh Cook, Chief Operating Officer of IU Health Ball Hospital will work closely with Dr. Ryan Johnston, Chief Medical Officer, and Melissa Hicks, Chief Nursing Officer, to guide day-to-day operations, patient care, and community engagement.
Grants to Grow Healthcare Talent in East Central Indiana Among $5M Awarded by Ball Brothers Foundation
Ball Brothers Foundation, a family foundation committed to place-based grantmaking in Indiana for nearly a century, has awarded more than $5 million in its second round of grants for 2025.
A major focus of this round supports projects that strengthen East Central Indiana’s healthcare workforce pipeline. This funding will help expand medical education, launch new healthcare credential programs, and provide hands-on experiences for high school and college students preparing for healthcare careers.
IU Health Congregational Care Network: Finding healing through connection
The Congregational Care Network provides compassionate care beyond the hospital walls with help from community partners.
The burden of emotional and spiritual strain can be overwhelming for individuals facing life transitions or caregiving challenged. The Congregational Care Network (CCN), a program offered through IU Health, is designed to bridge that gap by providing consistent emotional support to those in need.
East Central Indiana Emerging as Hub for Training Indiana’s Healthcare Workforce
Joint Op-Ed By: Jud Fisher and Trevor Friedeberg
It’s no secret that East Central Indiana faces notable challenges as it works to reinvent itself. Like many other rust belt regions across the Midwest, we are tackling issues including population decline, workforce development gaps, and housing shortages.
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.
Muncie Furthers Reputation as Healthcare Education Center of Excellence
In the midst of growing concerns about healthcare worker shortages, Muncie is cementing its identity as a leader in training physicians, nurses, sonographers, and allied health professionals.
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 last mile’: Ball Brothers Foundation announces grants to support COVID-19 vaccine distribution
Hospitals, public health departments and healthcare organizations are carrying the brunt of COVID-19 efforts: caring for the ill, monitoring the spread of cases, educating the public about prevention methods, running testing sites and, now, managing the monumental task of carrying out the largest vaccination efforts in the nation’s history.
Amidst COVID Surge, Funding to Support Hospital Caregivers, Vaccine Distribution Planning Awarded by Ball Brothers Foundation
As the year draws to a close, BBF is responding to the surge in COVID cases with additional support for local hospitals. Additionally, encouraged by the promise of COVID vaccines, the foundation awarded funding for local vaccine distribution planning.
‘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.
Ball Brothers Foundation Awards $75,000 to Local Hospitals, Continues COVID-19 Support for Front-Line Workers
As the number of COVID-19 cases continue to rise in East Central Indiana, Ball Brothers Foundation has awarded a $75,000 grant to the IU Health Foundation. The grant will support the needs of hospital employees in Delaware, Jay and Blackford Counties who are working around the clock to fight COVID-19.
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.
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.