Partner Partner Content How the Fort Wayne Urban League and Alliance Health Centers are closing gaps in access to healthcare

This article was made in partnership with Parkview Health.

The Fort Wayne Urban League’s Aisha Arrington once found herself in a precarious situation many young mothers in our community face. Factors like financial constraints got in the way of her accessing prenatal care until far into her first pregnancy. 

And when she finally did, the encounters with the medical team made her feel raw, vulnerable, and reduced to an object. Her three daughters are now grown, and Arrington has found her footing. But the lingering trauma has left a mark on her, so much that it’s a defining part of her story and colors her work at the Fort Wayne Urban League in Southeast Fort Wayne. 

“I had some pretty sad experiences being a young mom and pregnant and trying to…just be treated with dignity and respect in my pregnancy, which then discouraged me forever going back to the doctor unless I just absolutely had to,” she says.

Now president and CEO of the Fort Wayne Urban League, Arrington doesn’t want anyone to suffer a similar fate. She’s hopeful for a brighter future for area mothers and Fort Wayne’s marginalized populations at large. According to the St. Joseph Community Health Foundation, infants born in 46806 have a 15-year shorter life expectancy than those born in more affluent zip codes.

Arrington finds stats like these unacceptable and hopes a medical clinic housed in the basement of the Hanna-Creighton complex has the potential to change the trajectory for many local families. A partnership between the Fort Wayne Urban League and Alliance Health Centers, the goal is to expand access to culturally competent care for all demographics, with a particular focus on improving maternal and child health. The facility sits at the intersection of collaboration and a community-centered response to longstanding health inequities, says Alliance Health Centers CEO, Dr.Nikki King.

A collaborative partner with Parkview Health, Alliance operates several independent clinics in Fort Wayne and is eligible for cost-based Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement. Alliance offers a sliding fee scale discount for services available to those who qualify, and will not turn away anyone for inability to pay.

“We serve everybody, regardless of ability to pay, so good insurance, bad insurance, no insurance, anything in between,” says King. “We will work with you.”

In other words, the clinic caters to underserved patients to help fill the gap, making sure that everybody gets access to care.

In Arrington’s estimation, the partnership is unique because it brings together two individual organizations with different strengths and identities, but a shared mission related to how they serve these groups.

Arrington says she is enthused about the prospect of bringing care to people in a way that’s convenient, accessible, and fits into their current lifestyle. King agrees, emphasizing that the clinic is more than a traditional healthcare site. She says it will offer prenatal care, behavioral health, psychiatry, developmental pediatrics, autism diagnostics, and pediatric rehab. The clinic will be maintained within the Urban League facility for a minimum of five years.

Maternal and infant health disparities disproportionately affect Black families in Allen County. According to the St. Joseph Community Health Foundation, infants and moms have more than double the mortality rate. Understanding this, Arrington hopes the clinic meets the urgency of the moment through prenatal and postnatal care. 

“We’re putting together a program, which I think is really special, to really try to help meet folks where they are,” she says.

King is optimistic about the clinic’s potential impact overall. Specifically, she says she has high hopes for the clinic’s developmental and autism services in leveling the playing field for local families. Right now, there’s a lack of timely access to developmental pediatrics and autism-related services. It’s Alliance’s goal to shorten wait times and deliver quality care earlier. 

King explains early intervention can affect long-term child outcomes. As she’s proud to share, Alliance currently turns around a new diagnosis from the point of referral in about one to two months, on average. For context, Indiana University’s Early Autism Evaluation (EAE) Hub system estimates average wait time from referral to evaluation to be 3-4 months.

Arrington acknowledges that all of this would not be possible without the financial support that helped turn the unused basement space into the clinic. A $400,000 grant from the WindSwell Foundation, formerly known as AWS Foundation, helped offset some of the costs. 

This announcement follows others related to community partnerships. In May 2024, Alliance announced a partnership with Bridge of Grace to serve southeast Fort Wayne. They also partner with the Rescue Mission, Charis House, Iris Family Services, Turnstone, and Positive Resource Connection.

Photos by Von Art.

This article was made in partnership with Parkview Health.