Muncie Community Schools
50-Year Anniversary | Community Partner Spotlight
This month's 50th anniversary featured partner is Muncie Community Schools (MCS). Established in 1855, MCS has educated Muncie youth through many eras of political, economic, and cultural change. It remains a significant and influential anchor in the local community and a valuable partner in advancing wellbeing among Muncie’s families.
The groundwork was laid for an Open Door / MCS partnership even before Open Door existed. In 1972, Dr. Max Rudicel, now Open Door’s Chief Medical Officer, was approached by MCS’ outgoing school doctor with the opportunity to fill the role. He accepted and served for more than 45 years, providing onsite sports physicals and treating sports injuries at the district’s elementary, middle, and high schools. In one of his many claims to fame, Dr. Rudicel was on hand at Muncie Central’s 1988 semi-state game to suture a cut on the face of the team’s top defensive player. The player returned to the game to secure a Bearcat win. A week later, the team won the state championship. Dr. Rudicel’s impact on Bearcat basketball didn’t end there. He later served as assistant basketball coach, helping to lead the team to a 2nd place finish in the early 2000s.
When Dr. Rudicel joined Open Door in the mid-1990s, the two organizations established an official partnership to continue providing sports physicals and other services. The position of school doctor ended in 2017, but Open Door continued its presence at Muncie Central, first through its mobile unit. Today, Open Door provides school nurse care and operates a school-based health center with family practice care for students, staff, and the general public. By operating where students spend most of their day, Open Door aims to reduce a student’s time away from class and parent’s time away from work for health center visits.
Beyond clinical services, Open Door is a regular participant in MCS outreach events like Big Idea food giveaways and teacher wellness fairs. Open Door staff serve on the MCS Community Engagement Council, assisting with teacher appreciation, fundraising, and other council initiatives. MCS also is a member of the 8twelve Coalition’s Education Action Team, a collaborative effort to expand educational programs and fund professional development for educators who serve families in the Thomas Park-Avondale and South Central neighborhoods.
Muncie Community Schools’ Director of Public Education and CEO, Dr. Chuck Reynolds, shares Open Door’s conviction that no one organization can address the community’s complex social, economic, educational, and health care needs alone.
“At Muncie Community Schools, we take a cradle-to-career approach to education that relies heavily on community partnerships like the one we have with Open Door,” Dr. Reynolds said. “By providing health care services to our students, staff and members of the community right on our own campus, Open Door is providing us a huge benefit. It keeps students in school, saves parents from leaving work and provides immediate expert medical care for any emergencies that arise. We congratulate them on 50 years of serving our community and look forward to our partnership continuing for another 50 years.”
2024 marks the 50th anniversary of Open Door Health Services operating in East Central Indiana! While caring for community members under different names during that time, the organization has seen a rich history of patient-focused care and intentional relationship-building with community partners.
To celebrate this history, each month we're featuring the story of Open Door's partnership with an area organization. Thank you for helping us celebrate the impact we make TOGETHER on quality of life.