Indy Health District market administers the medicine of homegrown food
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Tysha Ahmad of Mother Loves Garden helps customers during the first Indy Health District Floating Farmers Market of 2026. Photo: Justin L. Mack/Axios
A push to help Indianapolis residents live longer is bringing fresh produce, free health screenings and community resources to five north side neighborhoods.
Why it matters: Residents within the Indy Health District's (IHD) 1,500-acre footprint are on track to die more than a decade earlier than people living just miles away.
- The return of the IHD Floating Farmers Market this week is one effort to close that gap.
What they're saying: "Food is medicine," Danita Hoskin, CEO and market manager of Harvest 2 Home Indy, told Axios at Wednesday's kickoff while holding up a bundle of arugula.
- "I can tell you exactly where this was grown, who grew it and the day it was picked."
- Hoskin said residents, many of whom have been buying dinner at gas stations and discount stores to get by, have responded to the market with enthusiasm and relief.
- She said the district's neighborhoods — Ransom Place, Flanner House, Meridian Highland, Highland Vicinity and Crown Hill — have been without a single grocery store between them since 2015.
Reginald Wesley, IHD's director of engagement, said the market model is deliberately designed around "quick wins" that the community can see.
- "Because so many people have engaged these neighborhoods and not delivered," he said.
Flashback: Launched in October 2024, IHD is a collaborative nonprofit supported by IU Health, Ivy Tech Community College, the Children's Museum of Indianapolis, IU School of Medicine and Citizens Energy Group to improve quality of life in the communities near IU Health's new $2.3 billion hospital.
- Executive director Jamal Smith says IHD's efforts are solutions-driven, noting that residents in neighborhoods of need grow tired of leaders talking about the problems they face without ways to fix them.
Threat level: Life expectancy for residents in IHD neighborhoods is just 69 years compared to more than 80 years in nearby suburbs.
- The county average is 73 years, the state average is 75 years and the U.S. average is 77 years.
Zoom out: The market is one piece of IHD's multifront push to lengthen that life expectancy.
- An $8 million affordable housing project at 22nd and Illinois with 26 townhomes and duplexes is expected to be completed by late 2026.
- A $32 million, 116-unit rental development at 22nd and Meridian will follow in 2027.
- IHD has also built a new trail segment linking 16th to 21st streets across Senate Boulevard and launched the Mosaic Center, an IU Health-supported career development hub.
By the numbers: The market served more than 1,450 residents, delivered over 900 free IU Health blood pressure screenings and distributed $16,000 in food vouchers in 2025, per IHD.
- The 2026 season runs from April through October, a longer calendar with more dates and additional locations.
- "Market bucks" are given to every visitor upon arrival, meaning residents can access fresh food at no cost. Additional bucks are available for those who complete a basic IU Health screening on-site.
What's next: IHD and the Children's Museum of Indianapolis are co-hosting Homegrown, a free community celebration, at 12pm Sunday on the green space at 32nd and Illinois.