Access to quality healthcare is an important part of building strong, thriving communities—and a new initiative from Ball State University will soon provide another healthcare option for individuals and families across East Central Indiana.

Ball State University’s College of Health is launching a new family medicine primary care practice through its Interprofessional Community Clinics in Muncie. The practice is preparing for a soft launch in early September, with three newly hired family nurse practitioners beginning to accept patients.

For East Central Indiana, the expansion represents more than an additional healthcare service. It brings together healthcare access, education, workforce development, and community engagement—all important components of regional vitality.

Expanding Primary Care for the Community

The new practice will operate within Ball State’s Healthy Lifestyle Center, located at the University’s Interprofessional Community Clinics at 1613 W. Riverside Ave. in Muncie.

Unlike Ball State’s student health center, the new practice is designed to serve community members of all ages.

Services will include annual wellness and preventive care visits, routine physicals, chronic disease management, women’s health services, health screenings and preventive counseling, treatment of common health concerns, and coordination of specialty referrals when necessary.

The practice will emphasize personalized, relationship-based care with a strong focus on prevention, early intervention, wellness, and helping patients take an active role in their health.

Connecting Healthcare and Healthy Lifestyles

Locating the practice within the Healthy Lifestyle Center creates opportunities for a more integrated approach to care.

Patients may benefit from services that consider not only their immediate medical needs but also physical, behavioral, and lifestyle factors that contribute to long-term health and wellbeing.

As Dr. Justin Tobyas, director of interprofessional education and practice and assistant clinical professor of athletic training in Ball State’s College of Health, explained, the goal is to build ongoing relationships between patients and providers while emphasizing education, prevention, and the everyday choices that support better health.

Building on an Established Community Resource

The new primary care practice expands the work already happening through Ball State’s Interprofessional Community Clinics (ICCs).

Established in 2019, the ICCs bring clinical care, student education, and community engagement together in one setting. Existing services include the Audiology Clinic, Counseling Practicum Clinic, Healthy Lifestyle Center, and Speech Pathology Clinic.

Together, the clinics currently provide approximately 16,000 appointments annually at their campus location, while the Healthy Lifestyle Center provides another 10,000 community outreach encounters.

Ball State recently expanded the ICCs further by adding the Center for Autism Spectrum Disorder and the Psychoeducational Diagnostic and Intervention Clinic from Teachers College. Those clinics became part of the ICCs on Aug. 17 and are expected to begin accepting new clients in October.

Strengthening the Healthcare Talent Pipeline

The expansion also creates another connection between healthcare and workforce development.

By operating within an academic healthcare environment, the clinics provide opportunities for Ball State students preparing for careers in health professions to gain meaningful learning experiences while contributing to the wellbeing of the surrounding community.

Dr. Scott Rutledge, dean of Ball State’s College of Health, described the expansion as an opportunity to provide compassionate, relationship-centered care while giving students additional opportunities to learn in an environment built around collaboration, service, and innovation.

That combination can have a lasting regional impact. Building a strong healthcare workforce begins with providing students opportunities to learn, gain experience, and develop connections to the communities they may one day serve.

Healthcare Access Supports Regional Vitality

At Forge ECI, we know quality of life and economic development are closely connected.

Access to healthcare influences where families choose to live, where employers invest, and how communities attract and retain talent. At the same time, partnerships between educational institutions and communities help build the skilled workforce needed to support growing industries.

Ball State’s expansion of its community health services demonstrates how one investment can address both priorities—providing additional healthcare options today while helping prepare the healthcare professionals our communities will need tomorrow.

It’s another example of how East Central Indiana’s educational institutions are extending their impact beyond the classroom and contributing directly to the strength and vitality of the region.

To learn more about the new primary care practice and Ball State University’s announcement, read the original Ball State University news release.