TERRE HAUTE — Kyra Reed and Josh Cullison recognize they are starting medical school at an exciting time in Terre Haute.
They attended a Tuesday news conference announcing the Rural Health Innovation Collaborative (RHIC), a partnership aimed at addressing health care worker shortages in the Wabash Valley, particularly in rural areas.
The initiative also is expected to spawn neighborhood revitalization and economic development in the area between Union Hospital and Indiana State University.
Both Reed and Cullison are from rural areas and are pursuing a rural-focused program through the Indiana University School of Medicine-Terre Haute. When they become doctors, they want to go back and practice in rural communities, often medically underserved in Indiana.
And that’s the major driver behind the collaborative.
“I’m from a rural community so I can identify with their needs and the lack of resources there,” Reed said. “I think it’s fantastic that they’re combining all the resources that they do have here.”
Working together, the partners can strengthen health care training and create economic vitality for the community, Reed said.
The six founding members are Union Hospital and its Lugar Center for Rural Health; Indiana University School of Medicine-Terre Haute; Indiana State University; Ivy Tech Community College; the Terre Haute Economic Development Corporation; and the City of Terre Haute.
RHIC “is an aggressive response to current and anticipated health care worker shortages in Vigo County and surrounding areas,” said Steve Witt, president of the Terre Haute Economic Development Corporation.
The six partners “have joined forces in an effort to provide more health care opportunities for our community, not only in terms of training but also job opportunities as well,” Witt said.
Benefits are expected to include more health care professionals available to address shortages, particularly in rural areas; the potential to expand health care-related businesses and attract new ones; and the creation of life science research opportunities.
“It’s the most exciting project I’ve ever been involved in,” said Dr. James Buechler, director emeritus of the Lugar Center for Rural Health. If the partners’ vision is realized, “This will be the place in the United States for rural health innovation to be developed. There’s no reason why it can’t be here.”
Long term, the initiative could involve new facilities, including a new College of Nursing, Health and Human Performance for ISU, which would require state funding.
Another aspect of the long-range plan is neighborhood revitalization, which would include commercial establishments, housing, “green” spaces and new businesses focused on health care.
At this point, the RHIC “is a process. It’s a concept. It’s an idea that’s beginning to solidify,” said David Doerr, president and chief executive officer of Union Hospital and its Richard G. Lugar Center for Rural Health.
“It’s still very much in its infancy, but there’s a lot of activity going on to build it and make it reality,” Doerr said. Several committees are working on various aspects, including education, facilities, finance and economic development.
It could be next summer or fall before more tangible proposals are brought forward, he said.
“There’s still a lot of planning to be done in terms of the corridor concept,” Doerr said.
Partners decided to announce RHIC now “to make it visible and make it real,” Doerr said. “I think there’s been a lot of talk in the community” about RHIC, with people wanting to know what it’s all about. The idea is “to take that cloak away from it so people understand what it’s about,” he said.
Asked about the neighborhood revitalization component, Doerr said the planning process will be done in such a way that “the community doesn’t feel left out, but they feel part of the process.”
Various aspects of the plan will involve requests for state and federal funding.
During the news conference, Terre Haute Mayor Duke Bennett said, “I really believe this is one of those things that’s going to be a milestone for this community.”
When he worked at Hamilton Center, he said he became aware of the challenges of providing services to rural areas. The RHIC offers new possibilities to serve those underserved areas, Bennett said.
He also believes the initiative could mean “a rebirth of this part of town” between Union Hospital and ISU. The initiative “has nothing but success written all over it,” Bennett said. The RHIC was formally established in September, although it has been the topic of informal discussions for the past two years.
The discussions began because of a number of things happening in the community: the expansion of the IU Medical School presence in Terre Haute; ISU’s reorganized College of Nursing, Health and Human Services and plans for a renovated or new facility; Union Hospital’s expansion/renovation project and the ongoing work of the Lugar Center for Rural Health; and Ivy Tech’s growing presence in the health care field.
“All of those things have come together, and we realized we really have a tremendous potential locally to make a significant impact on the health care industry through a host of ways,” Witt said Monday.
The IU School of Medicine in Terre Haute has already begun increasing the number of medical students here, and it has been proactive in creating a rural-focused curriculum.
By joining the RHIC, the IU School of Medicine-Terre Haute hopes to strengthen its efforts to alleviate physician shortages in rural areas, said Dr. Stephen B. Leapman, executive associate dean for educational affairs at the IU School of Medicine.
Doerr said Terre Haute has long been viewed as a retail center. “I’d like to plant the seed and suggest [RHIC] also provides an opportunity for Terre Haute … to become a center for medical education and a regional health care referral center,” he said.
Terre Haute also has the expertise in rural health care delivery and education.
“We have the opportunity to have a huge impact on what is going to happen in Terre Haute, the Wabash Valley and rural America in the years to come,” Buechler said.
As Buechler concluded his comments during the news conference, he said, “Why here? Why Terre Haute, Indiana? Well, the problems of rural America center in the heartland of America. We are the heartland … We know it. We live it. We understand it.”
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the RHIC?
The RHIC was formed to respond to current and worsening health care worker shortages. In addition to addressing work force needs, the development of the Collaborative will focus on neighborhood revitalization and economic development, including physical infrastructure build-out, business expansion and attraction, and the increase of rural health care services, training and research.
• • •
What will the RHIC accomplish?
Neighborhood revitalization and economic development will be two of the positive results of a long-range plan involving Terre Haute education, government and business partners who are launching the RHIC as an aggressive response to current and anticipated health care worker shortages in the Terre Haute and surrounding rural communities.
• • •
What does the RHIC represent and where will it be centered?
The RHIC represents a unique opportunity to align the resources and strategic direction of several community institutions in Terre Haute to address a grand challenge – improving health care in Terre Haute and throughout rural Indiana. At the same time, the combined efforts will spawn neighborhood revitalization and economic development in the area near Union Hospital and Indiana State University.
• • •
When was the RHIC formed?
Formation of the RHIC has been a topic of informal discussions for the past two years as a part of partnership efforts to expand the Indiana University School of Medicine in Terre Haute to include a formal, four-year rural training program for medical students. The RHIC was formally established by the partners beginning September 2008.
• • •
Who are the Founding Members of the RHIC?
The RHIC currently includes six Founding Members. These include Indiana State University, Indiana University School of Medicine, Union Hospital, the Terre Haute Economic Development Corporation, the City of Terre Haute and Ivy Tech Community College Wabash Valley.
• • •
What is the structure of the RHIC?
The RHIC currently includes a Leadership Committee, an Operations Committee and five Working Groups. These Working Groups include: Education, Economic Development, Facilities, Communications and Finance.
• • •
Will the RHIC include additional partners?
Yes. The expectation is that the RHIC will continue to evolve through discussions and inclusion of additional partners. The Leadership Committee will be meeting in early 2009 to discuss ways to best implement this expansion.
• • •
What are the next steps for the RHIC?
The RHIC Leadership Committee will continue to work to establish and expand the formal partnership structure. The Working Groups will continue to gather baseline information with the goal of forwarding recommendations to the Operations Committee for a coordinated implementation effort to move the RHIC forward to address the challenges of workforce shortages, economic development and neighborhood enhancement.
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