Former MLK library site becomes OSU Healthy Community Center on Columbus' Near East Side

When you open the doors of what used to be Columbus Metropolitan Library branch named for Martin Luther King Jr. on Columbus' Near East Side, a quote by the civil rights icon greets you.

"I have the audacity to believe that people everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality and freedom for their spirits," the bold, metallic gray lettering reads.

It's the vision in that quote the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center's new Healthy Community Center hopes to achieve side-by-side with its surrounding community. Starting Wednesday, the center at 1600 East Long St. will be open for health screenings, neighborhood groups to host events in their community spaces, cooking classes focused on nutritious foods, and a multitude of other opportunities to address the area's wellness needs.

Just a few blocks fom Ohio State East Hospital, the 8,900-square-foot center has been a conversation between OSU and the surrounding community since 2019. The $5.1-million project is currently made up of a large community room, a teaching kitchen, a café that will house a local vendor, and a general wellness space for exercise and other activities. Outside is a patio with outdoor seating overlooking the raised wooden beds where a community garden will grow.

Each space in the center is a direct response to residents' feedback, Javonte McDonald, the center's director, explained. Access to nutritious food and education around it, social spaces for the community (especially elders), and ways for local organizations to grow together were among the top priorities. But OSU isn't interested in doing it alone.

"It's a space where we're not the only people leading the programming, but the community is as well," McDonald said. "They can bring things here. They can bring their issues or they can bring their programs and ideas that they have into the space as well."

Dr. Joshua J. Joseph, medical director for the new center, grew up on the floors of the old library building. He sees the center as not just one stopping point, but a launching pad to connect to other community resources residents might not be aware of, such as larger urban gardens and more advanced health services.

"We really want this to serve as an example or an archetype for how Ohio State and other large medical centers can do this around the country to improve health in all communities," Joseph said.

If you want to partner with the Healthy Community Center or have ideas for programs, you can email Javonte.Mcdonald@osumc.edu.

shendrickson@ dispatch.com