The iHEART Collaborative (Indianapolis Health Equity, Access, outReach and Treatment) was recently recognized by the Indiana Business Journal for the 2025 Excellence in Health Care Awards, honoring individuals or organizations in the central Indiana health care industry who are making a significant impact on the quality of health care in the Indianapolis metropolitan area.
The iHEART Collaborative was awarded in the Community Achievement in Health Care category, which honored a company or organization that successfully implemented a program addressing an acknowledged problem in health care administration or delivery. Nominees gathered on February 25, 2025, in Indianapolis for the awards and recognition. The iHEART Community Health Worker (CHW) team, community partners Melvin Taylor of All in the Wrists Barbershop, and IUCB Facculty Investigator Brownsyne Tucker-Edmonds, MD, MPH accepted the award.
Prioritizing resident-centered outreach and community-based collaborations, iHEART works to reduce the severity of cardiovascular disease through education, CVD risk screening, and social determinants of health referrals. Bringing care to the community, iHEART centers the role of community health workers in bridging the gap between traditional medical institutions and the community. Community health workers (CHWs) are embedded in non-traditional locations such as community barbershops, food pantries, and churches to better serve the needs of residents.
iHEART is partnership of IU Health, the IU Fairbanks School of Public Health, DIP-IN, and the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute.