FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
Indianapolis, IN (Wurster Construction Co., Inc.)

January 5, 2010 – Wurster Construction has begun interior demolition of a vacant 1900s-era building previously used as a Masonic Lodge located at 1522 W. Morris Street. The west side landmark, built in 1907, will become the new home for HealthNet’s Southwest Health Center and Southwest OB/GYN Annex.

Crews will thoroughly gut the current structure creating 24,000 square feet of new medical office space and adding another 1,600 square feet of new construction. The project, designed by local firm HALSTEADarchitects, includes a new vestibule entrance and public conference space with the addition of 45 new parking spaces, a patient drop-off and drive with a roundabout. The new HealthNet Southwest will feature several sustainable construction products such as a vegetated roof, permeable paver parking, a live retaining wall system, rain gardens and other energy and environmental protection features. The project will serve as a demonstration project for the city’s Office of Sustainability in its use of green building techniques and materials. The center is expected to open in the summer of 2010.

HealthNet’s Southwest Health Center and Southwest OB/GYN Annex are at capacity and have no room for expansion. The centers provide care for 7,700 patients each year. The new Southwest Health Center will more than double the size of the two facilities combined and add a dental clinic. Currently, no dental providers in the area accept Medicaid or offer a sliding fee scale for uninsured persons. The new center will be able to care for an additional 8,300 patients.

Wurster Construction Co. Inc. is a third-generation, family-owned construction management firm specializing in privately negotiated projects within Indiana’s healthcare, life science, retail, and religious markets. For more information about Wurster, visit their website www.wursterconstruction.com.

Since 1968, HealthNet, Inc. has improved the health status of Indianapolis’ inner-city neighborhoods by making quality health services accessible to everyone. From its beginnings in a converted bank building staffed by one physician, HealthNet has grown to a citywide organization with 18 locations and 433 employees. It is Indiana’s largest Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC).

Through its network of five community-based, comprehensive primary care health centers, one OB/GYN care center, a pediatric/adolescent care center, eight school-based clinics, and support services, HealthNet annually provides affordable health care to more than 47,700 individuals – 75 percent of whom live at or below the federal poverty level. In 2008, the centers accounted for over 201,100 patient visits. For more information, visit www.indyhealthnet.org.

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Contacts:

Michelle Michalke, Exec. Admin. Assistant
Wurster Construction Co., Inc.
(317) 841-1000;
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http://www.wursterconstruction.com

Kay Johnson, communications/marketing manager
HealthNet, Inc.
(317) 781-4989;
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http://wwwindyhealthnet.org