The 'difficult, complex work' of extending life expectancy in five Indy neighborhoods

IBJ Podcast host Mason King first interviewed Jamal Smith late in 2024 about an ambitious initiative to do no less than increase the life expectancy of residents in a set of historic neighborhoods in Marion County. You know the neighborhoods as Crown Hill, Historic Flanner House Homes, Highland Vicinity, Meridian Highland and Ransom Place. They contain in total more than 9,000 residents who, due to a number of socio-economic factors, have a much lower life expectancy than other Indy residents.

The neighborhoods are immediately north, west and south of the $4.3 billion IU Health hospital campus under construction downtown. Smith is the executive director of the nonprofit group Indy Health District, which was formally launched a year ago by IU Health in collaboration with several adjacent community-minded organizations and representatives of the neighborhoods. Its most immediate goals include providing access to healthy food and quality education, investing in trails and other infrastructure, partnering on projects that create affordable housing and helping residents find gainful employment.

Coordinating the many elements of the initiative with a staggering number of stakeholders requires elite powers of persuasion, communication and humility. Smith returns to the podcast this week with a one-year progress report, including updates on strategies that succeeded and situations where he needed to ask for grace and go back to the lab. And he shares the four main goals of the district’s newly composed strategic plan—the next steps toward the district’s ultimate goal.