Community News

LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The Indiana University School of Social Work is expanding its programming to address an increased need for graduate-prepared social workers in the city of Lafayette and surrounding communities.

Beginning in summer 2024, the IU School of Social Work will offer its Master of Social Work program on the Ivy Tech Lafayette campus.

“We know there is a need for more mental health and addictions social work professionals in this area of the state,” said Jeffry Thigpen, interim dean of the IU School of Social Work. “As the largest school of social work in Indiana, IU provides the vast majority of the state’s social work workforce. This program option extends our reach to a new region, bringing new options for employers in the Lafayette area and surrounding communities, but also for students wanting to further their studies in this arena. We are excited to partner with our colleagues in Lafayette to bring our graduate program here.”

The School of Social Work currently has programs on seven Indiana University campuses: Indianapolis, Bloomington, IU Northwest in Gary, IU East in Richmond, IU South Bend, IU Southeast in New Albany and IU Fort Wayne. It also offers a fully online MSW program.

The school will collaborate on this new program in Lafayette with the Purdue College of Health and Human Sciences and other community partners, including Ivy Tech Lafayette and North Central Health Services. The program is funded for three years by a Community Benefit Partnership Grant from North Central Health Services.

“Master’s-prepared social workers are desperately needed in western and north central Indiana,” said Marion K. Underwood, former dean of Purdue’s College of Health and Human Sciences, who played a role in developing the program. “Establishing this MSW program in Lafayette will be a tremendous benefit for Purdue undergraduates who desire to go on to work as counselors and therapists. Purdue’s College of Health and Human Sciences is delighted to partner with the IU School of Social Work and North Central Health Services to bring this new program to life.”

The new option will begin as a cohort-based part-time program in which 20 to 25 students complete the 60-credit hour program over three years. Students will complete classroom learning and then apply those skills through supervised practicum experiences with clinical professionals in agencies and service organizations. Students in the program will be able to pursue their master’s-level social work license, advanced clinical social work license and clinical addiction counseling license.

“North Central Health Services recognizes the pressing challenge of a workforce shortage coupled with the growing need for mental health services,” CEO Stephanie Long said. “Through the North Central Health Services Community Benefit partnership grant, we are committed to equipping our community with resources to navigate these challenges effectively. This initiative is one step toward addressing the mental health care workforce shortage and securing meaningful partnerships to support and advance the development of these programs in Indiana.”

“We’re happy to collaborate with IU School of Social Work to provide space for this program and meet this important workforce need in our community,” said Aaron Baute, chancellor of Ivy Tech Lafayette. “We value the work that IU, Purdue and North Central Health Services are doing in addressing the shortage of workers and a need for more mental health services.”

This work from the School of Social Work complements efforts already in progress to increase access to mental health services in school districts across Indiana, funded in part by more than $10 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Education. The School of Social Work was awarded $5.7 million of that to bring more mental health professionals to K-12 schools across the state. Three IU regional campuses — IU Kokomo, IU East and IU South Bend — received a $4.4 million grant to address the need for school psychologists. Aligning with the university’s strategic plan, IU 2030, the work accomplished through these efforts will have a direct impact on communities across Indiana.

November 2, 2023- North Central Health Services in partnership with The Community Foundation of Greater Lafayette is offering 4 scholarships to area nonprofit executive directors, supervisors and emerging leaders interested in receiving their certification in Nonprofit Executive Leadership. Offered through the IUPUI School of Public and Environmental Affairs and the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy in Indianapolis, this program utilizes an accelerated curriculum to fit executives’ busy schedules.

Four two-day seminars are held over the course of eight months beginning in March 2024. Course topics include Program Evaluation for Mission Impact, Financial Analysis for Nonprofit Leaders, Strategic Planning & Nonprofit Leadership, and Nonprofit Management for the 21st Century. Upon completion of the program registrants will receive their Certificate in Nonprofit Executive Leadership.

2023 recipients were Jennifer Edwards – Junior Achievement of Greater Lafayette, Tracy Orbin – Hanna Community Center, Amy O’Shea – United Way of Greater Lafayette, Teresa Puterbaugh – White County Council on Aging.

The deadline to apply for the scholarship is 12pm on December 14, 2023. Applicants must meet the eligibility criteria, complete an application and submit a resume. Those interested in applying can find the application instructions and eligibility requirements on The Community Foundation of Greater Lafayette website at www.inspiringgreater.org or by calling 765-742-9078.

To learn more about the certification program visit the IUPUI Fundraising School website at www.philanthropy.iupui.edu.

Mental health challenges are on the rise among young people. While these trends have developed over the last decade, they were exacerbated by COVID-19—which has led to a steep decline in the emotional wellbeing of Hoosier youth and teens. Left untreated, mental health challenges lead to long-term issues, such as substance use disorder. On June 14, 2023, the Indiana Department of Education, Indiana Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation, North Central Health Services, Inc., and Healthcare Foundation of La Porte brought together 300+ educational leaders, healthcare providers, and state and community partners for the first Youth Emerging Stronger (YES!) Summit. The YES! Summit provided a framework for helping educators and communities work together to establish, implement, and sustain mental health supports and substance use prevention programs within schools.

According to recent data from the state of Indiana, almost 40% of Hoosier middle and high school students report feeling sad or hopeless almost daily for two weeks or longer. Many of those students say those feelings have prevented them from taking part in some or all their daily activities or have led them to drink alcohol or use drugs. Growing mental health challenges can also have a direct impact on educational outcomes—with a direct link between a student’s wellbeing and their academic success. While schools are part of the solution, this work requires parents, families, educators, healthcare professionals, philanthropic and community partners, state leaders, and more, working together to ensure every student with the tools needed to learn, grow, and succeed.

For more information about the inaugural YES! Summit, visit https://yessummit.today/.

Indiana University Health and North Central Health Services (NCHS) are stepping up to provide funding for west central Indiana communities to create new resources to address teen mental health struggles.

According to Mental Health America, the youth population in the United States is at the greatest risk of developing and living with severe depression or mental illness. 

Funding from IU Health and NCHS will allow 13 organizations to implement #WoWTalk (Words of Wisdom) Cafés, referred to as Teen Cafés, through Be Strong Families. 

Be Strong Families is internationally known as an innovator in using structured, small group conversations, called Cafés, to facilitate transformation and healing, build community, develop peer-to-peer relationships and engage teens as partners in the programs that serve them. 

The 13 organizations that received funding are currently attending a two-day training program learning how to facilitate Teen Cafés. Each organization will then host six – 12 Teen Cafés with middle and high school youth during the two-year grant period, (January 2023 – December 2024). Each Teen Café will have a theme, food and an incentive for participation—all of which is included in the funding each organization received. 

“Teen Cafés are physically and emotionally safe spaces where teens talk and listen to each other on topics that matter to them,” explains Stephanie Long, president of NCHS. “Through individual deep self-reflection and peer-to-peer learning, participants explore their strength, learn about the Protective Factors and create strategies from their own wisdom and experiences.” 

The 13 organizations that received grant funding for the Teen Cafés are:

• Healthy Communities of Clinton County Coalition
• IMPACT at Abba Place in Mulberry
• CORE Community Center (formerly known as Clinton County YMCA)
• Recovery Café Lafayette
• Tippecanoe School Corporation
•  Upper Room Youth Center in Delphi
•  Purdue University – The Family Health Clinics - Delphi
• Boy Scouts of America, Sagamore Council
• White County United Way
• Lafayette Family YMCA (two locations)
• Lyn Treece Boys & Girls Club of Tippecanoe County (two locations)
• Attica Junior-Senior High School
• Hanna Community Center

“These organizations serve teens across west central Indiana. We are confident that with this training, the Teen Cafés they will host will have an impact on the mental health of our teens,” shares Melissa Dexter, community outreach and engagement manager for IU Health Arnett, Frankfort and White Memorial. 

In 2021, local community health needs assessments were independently conducted by IU Health, NCHS and Franciscan Health to identify the most significant health needs for the region. During this process, adolescent behavioral health was recognized as a priority for each entity. Therefore, the three major health systems in west central Indiana decided to collaborate on a unified approach to address this important community health need. Funding of the Teen Cafés complements funding made available by Franciscan Health to organizations to host Parent Cafés, also through Be Strong Families. 

North Central Health Services is offering scholarships to area nonprofit executive directors, supervisors and emerging leaders interested in receiving their certification in Nonprofit Executive Leadership. The IUPUI Nonprofit Executive Leadership program is an executive education certificate program utilizing an accelerated curriculum to fit executives’ busy schedules. Four two-day seminars are held over the course of eight months beginning in March 2023:

• Strategic Planning and Nonprofit Leadership         
• Program Evaluation for Mission Impact                 
• Nonprofit Management for the 21^st Century            
• Financial Analysis for Nonprofit Leaders   

To learn more about the program, including when the classes will be offered in 2023, visit https://bit.ly/3PZyoYN.

The application can be found at https://lnkd.in/gau82jMG. Please apply by December 9 at 12 pm by emailing your application to info@inspiringgreater.org

Ivy Tech Foundation annually honors an individual, corporation, or foundation that has changed the lives of our students and the communities in which they live, learn, and work by providing exceptional philanthropic and volunteer leadership. This award celebrates the gifts and volunteer service the recipients have bestowed on the college. NCHS recognizes that the $2 million partnership grant will make a lasting impact to assist with accepting and graduating more nurses in our area. 

North Central Health Services (NCHS) has announced a $2 million Community Benefit Partnership grant to Ivy Tech Community College-Lafayette for the expansion of the nursing program. The grant was made public at an announcement made on April 25 on the Ivy Tech Lafayette campus.

“Ivy Tech has a significant impact on our region’s healthcare workforce. Most of their graduates stay and work in this area,” said Stephanie Long, Chief Executive Officer of NCHS. “Ivy Tech is perfectly positioned to respond to the growing shortage of registered nurses.”

The grant will help Ivy Tech accept and graduate more nursing students from the program, impacting the growing need for nurses at area hospitals and healthcare facilities. One of Ivy Tech’s challenges is the limitations placed on the number of students that can be accepted into the nursing program by accreditation requirements and space on campus.

“We have good facilities and faculty here,” said Dr. Sandy Fights, Dean of the School of Nursing. “But we are at capacity for the number of students that we can accept in the associate science of nursing (ASN) program. The grant will allow us to move forward to increase that capacity.”

The grant funds will be used to construct a second, dedicated nursing simulation lab on the campus. The new simulation lab will be equipped with the same state-of-the-art technologies and human patient simulators as the current multi-use lab. In a simulation lab, nursing instructors program a patient simulator for a variety of health conditions and emergencies. Students practice clinical judgement in a safe environment. The use of simulations in nursing schools allows students to gain experience in situations that are unavailable in clinical settings, allowing students to make clinical decisions and see the results of their decisions.

The grant will also support additional faculty and support staff positions, including a simulation coordinator who will help maintain and manage the quality and usage of the labs and an assistant who will onboard and track students throughout the nursing program.

“We are so thankful for the support that NCHS is providing to our program. We will be able to accept more students into the ASN program and prepare them to enter the workforce at a time when there is a shortage of nurses,” said Dr. Fights.

Ivy Tech Lafayette’s nursing program prepares students to apply for the NCLEX-RN licensure exam to become a registered nurse. The ASN provides opportunities for graduates to transfer to a four-year university where they can earn a bachelor of science degree in nursing and continue towards a master’s degree. The school of nursing also prepares students to apply for the NCLEX-PN licensure exam to become a licensed practical nurse. The LPN provides the student with the opportunity to return to the program and complete the transition pathway to obtain RN licensure. More information is available at www.ivytech.edu/nursing.

“We have several ways that a student can enter our nursing program,” said Dr. Fights. “They can be accepted into the program directly. We have transition pathways for LPNs, medical assistants, and paramedics. We recently added a transition program for military medic personnel.”

Ivy Tech plans to open the new simulation lab in August 2023.

In partnership with United Way of Greater Lafayette, NCHS, The Community Foundation of Greater Lafayette and Duke Energy are pleased to sponsor the opportunity for local nonprofit executives to receive coaching and leadership training in 2022. To apply, complete the application below and submit it along with a current resume to gretchen@inspiringgreater.org by January 27 at 12 pm. 

Find the application here (link opens in new tab). 

North Central Health Services (NCHS) is committing over $1.1 million in Preventing Youth Suicide grants and support to 12 school corporations in North Central Indiana. The grants will support schools in six counties launching evidence-based youth suicide prevention programs, reaching an anticipated 35,000 students by the 2024 school year:

• Attica Consolidated School Corporation
• Benton Community School Corporation
• Clinton Central School Corporation
• Clinton Prairie School Corporation
• Community Schools of Frankfort
• Frankfort Crossing School of Business & Entrepreneurship
• Lafayette Catholic School System
• Lafayette School Corporation
• MSD of Warren County
• Rossville Consolidated School District
• Tippecanoe School Corporation
• Twin Lakes School Corporation

Through the initiative, NCHS is partnering with the Education Development Center (EDC) to provide school and district teams an opportunity to focus on integrating mental health within the tiers of the education system. This initiative will ensure that school communities are part of an effort to address and enhance suicide prevention school-wide.

The NCHS Preventing Youth Suicide Initiative was informed by community health conversations conducted throughout the NCHS service area in 2018 and 2021. During these conversations, school administrators shared their concerns about the mental health and wellbeing of their students. These needs were confirmed by the NCHS & River Bend Hospital 2018/2021 Community Health Needs Assessment along with outcomes data gathered from the Resilient Youth Initiative.

This grant will provide K-12 schools and corporations with grant funding as well as technical assistance to provide schools with training and systems support to build robust evidence-based suicide prevention efforts. Part of those efforts may be awareness training on the specific signs of suicide, intervention, and/or programs to engage peers and build help-seeking skills.

“Data from the Indiana Youth Institute and Mental Health America indicate that suicide risk for youth ages 10-24 has increased significantly,” said Stephanie Long, CEO & President, NCHS. “Research tells us when a variety of prevention strategies are implemented, youth suicide rates are reduced. We are thankful for the schools’ efforts to continue to advance suicide prevention strategies in their communities.”

North Central Health Services is offering scholarships to area nonprofit executive directors, supervisors and emerging leaders interested in receiving their certification in Nonprofit Executive Leadership. The IUPUI Nonprofit Executive Leadership program is an executive education certificate program utilizing an accelerated curriculum to fit executives’ busy schedules. Four two-day seminars are held over the course of eight months beginning in March 2022 (click here for course descriptions and program information(link opens in new tab)):

Strategic Planning and Nonprofit Leadership         

Program Evaluation for Mission Impact                 

Nonprofit Management for the 21^st Century            

Financial Analysis for Nonprofit Leaders     

Application instructions and eligibility requirements (link opens in new tab) can be found here.

Applications will be accepted until 5 pm on December 9, 2021

Application paperwork can be emailed to Gretchen Shelmon(link opens in new tab).      

Wabash Heartland Innovation Network has allocated two million dollars to the school corporations in the ten-county WHIN region to provide broadband solutions for students who do not have adequate access to the internet for schoolwork.

The allocation is the first of a three-year, six-million-dollar project to improve student connectivity in the region. North Central Health Services is a partner in the initiative.

“WHIN is committed to helping the Wabash Heartland become the most connected rural region in the state,” says WHIN CEO, Johnny Park. “Even when students are in class in person, they need online access outside of school for homework, projects, and school-related activities."

The Douglas W. Eberle Nonprofit Board Governance Series was established in 2008 to strengthen and sustain Not-For-Profit Boards in Tippecanoe and the surrounding counties. NCHS is partnering with The Community Foundation of Greater Lafayette and United Way to present the education series. The purpose of this program is to build knowledge about responsible oversight and governance, and effective responses to policy and management issues faced by today’s Not-For-Profit volunteer leaders. The continuing education series is designed for and limited to, Board volunteers and Executive Director teams. 

DATES AND TOPICS:  For a detailed summary of each session(link opens in a new tab) click here.

A special 2021 discount is available for virtual sessions. Cost-$15 per session or $100 for all 8 sessions! Each virtual session is from 11:00am-12:30pm. 

Due to the ongoing pandemic session location will be determined 30 days prior to the session date. Sessions with either be in person or virtual. 

The Wabash River Enhancement Corporation (WREC) has announced the commencement of a regional planning project to develop a Wabash River Greenway Corridor Master Plan. The greenway is being planned along a 90-mile, five-county section of the Wabash River corridor, extending through Fountain, Warren, Tippecanoe, Carroll, and Cass counties. 

The ultimate goal for the Wabash River Greenway Corridor Master Plan process is to partner with corridor residents, businesses and governments to create an inter-connected “on the land” and “on the water” trail system, new and enhanced existing green space, improvements to the corridor ecosystem as well as strategies for improving economic development and environmental management. 

When completed, the Greenway will weave through the WHINriver corridor counties of Cass, Carroll, Tippecanoe, Warren, and Fountain, and connect to the surrounding WHIN counties of Benton, Clinton, Montgomery, Pulaski, and White along existing river tributaries, roadway, trail and utility corridors extending out from the Greenway.  

Support for the Wabash River Greenway Corridor Master Plan Development Project is being provided by the WabashHeartland Innovation Network and North Central Health Services.

Wabash Heartland Innovation Network Board of Directors has allocated five million dollars from the Regional Cultivation Fund for a three-year e-learning project. This project is supported by North Central Health Services (NCHS) who awarded WHIN a one-million dollar grant. This project will improve Internet access at home to enhance e-learning opportunities in the 10-county WHIN region.

The Tippecanoe Arts Federation (TAF) released a video series to celebrate Bravo for the Arts Day, honoring Indiana Arts Commission and North Central Health Services grant recipients, as well as the 2020 Bravo Award and John Corey Leadership Award winners. The video series also features proclamations from local and regional representatives, officially establishing October 14, 2020 as Bravo for the Arts Day. The video series will take the place of the in-person Bravo for the Arts annual ceremony. 

With assistance from the Tippecanoe Arts Federation in administering the NCHS Capital Grants program, NCHS has funded 141 grants since 2004, totaling over $3.7 million in arts and culture grant funding. NCHS is fortunate for this partnership with the more than 50 organizations in our service that have received NCHS Capital Grants in arts and culture and with our partners at the Tippecanoe Arts Federation to build vibrant, healthy communities.

• Carroll County Historical Society, $32,930.83
• Delphi Preservation Society, $4,315.00
• Flora Main Street, $68,707
• Friends of the Frankfort Public Library, $58,696.47
• Robert and Ellen Haan Museum of Indiana Art, $10,350.70
• Monon Preservation Society, $75,000

River Bend Hospital is pleased to welcome Ayodeji Ogunleye, MD, as the Medical Director of our inpatient psychiatry team. 

Dr. Ogunleye completed his residency at the University of Missouri-Columbia and is a graduate of Obafemi Awolowo University College of Health Sciences. He has worked with Meridian Health in Muncie, Indiana, since 2018. He has over 15 years in the medical field with the last six years working in psychiatry. 

Dr. Ogunleye specializes in: 

• Mood Disorders 
• Personality Disorder 
• Schizophrenia 
• Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) 
• Bipolar Disorder 
• Mental Illness 
• Clinical Depression 

Outside of medicine, his interests include playing soccer and traveling.

Michelle Kreinbrook was appointed director of community benefit and outreach of North Central Health Services in February 2020.

North Central Health Services (NCHS) has awarded over $3.8 million in Resilient Youth Initiative implementation grants to 19 school corporations in Indiana. The grants will support schools in seven counties launching evidenced-based youth resiliency programs, reaching an anticipated 33,000 K-12 students by the 2021-2022 school year...

Children will soon be filtering in and out of the new Montgomery County Youth Service Bureau offices and they’ll be welcomed with open arms. Renovations, which began late last year, were paid for with more than $800,000 from North Central Health Services...

North Central Health Services (NCHS) today announced the last of three grants totaling $4 million for local housing and homeless support agency LTHC Homeless Services to aid in eradicating homelessness from the local community through the construction of the new LTHC Homeless Services Engagement Center.

For Hoosiers, finding reliable access to mental health care is too often an uphill battle. More than 50 percent of Indiana counties are without a single practicing psychiatrist. Statewide, the number of psychiatrists is half the national average. Indiana University School of Medicine is bridging this divide in services by significantly increasing the number of psychiatrists it trains per year. The school is growing its programs by a third, with support from more than $4.7 million in grant funding from North Central Health Services...

The Boys & Girls Club of White County will be getting a 14-passenger, wheelchair-accessible van, thanks to a grant it recently received. The grant, worth $67,502, was awarded by North Central Health Services...

NCHS is announcing a new grant opportunity for school corporations serving Benton, Carroll, Clinton, Fountain, Montgomery, Tippecanoe, Warren, and White counties in Indiana. NCHS has allocated $2 million to the Resilient Youth Initiative, to fund planning and implementation grants for proven programs that support social and emotional learning (SEL) and substance use prevention for youth...