Ohio State Joins MOFC to Establish Health Care Hub for Eastland Community

OSU College of Nursing to operate clinic inside
MOFC’s eastland Prosperity Center

Columbus, Ohio — Mid-Ohio Food Collective (MOFC) and The Ohio State University are partnering to bring holistic, integrated health care services to one of the region’s most under-resourced areas.

On May 23, leaders from MOFC and the Ohio State University College of Nursing gathered to announce an exciting and much needed health care hub at MOFC’s future Eastland Prosperity Center at 4485 Refugee Road. The holistic health space will occupy nearly one-fifth of the cutting edge 67,000-square-foot facility for nutritious food, health care, and social services.

“The Eastland Prosperity Center will be a national model for building hunger-free, healthier communities,” said MOFC President and CEO Matt Habash. “Together with our partners at The Ohio State University, we’re moving forward to connect our neighbors with the food and resources they need to thrive.”

The Ohio State University Total Health Care Center, a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) whose operations are managed through the College of Nursing, will bring its proven holistic health care model to Eastland. The health care hub at Eastland is expected to include primary care, dental and pharmacy services, pediatrics, women’s health, behavioral health, sexual health, wellness and chronic disease prevention.

“The Total Health Care Center’s holistic approach to health and wellness is the epitome of our mantra to answer our calling to care,” said Karen Rose, Ph.D., dean and professor at the Ohio State College of Nursing. “We are thrilled to partner with Mid-Ohio Food Collective to expand our offerings in this wonderful community and help all people live healthier, happier lives.”

The Eastland Prosperity Center will combine a free grocery market with a community health center, city programming, and social services to create a one-stop destination for health and well-being. The Mid-Ohio Market and on-site production kitchen will provide fresh, nutritious food to improve food security. Social service providers will include a WIC clinic, CelebrateOne, MOFC’s Benefits & Customer Outreach team, the St. Stephen’s Community House Family to Family Program and the city’s Far East Neighborhood Pride Center. Jewish Family Services will offer workforce development services.

Other speakers for the MOFC-OSU partnership announcement included Total Health Care Center CEO Candy Rinehart, DNP; Columbus Foundation Vice President Dan Sharpe; and Kym Douglas, Director of the Department of Neighborhoods for the City of Columbus.

The Columbus Foundation is generously donating $1 million to the Eastland Prosperity Center, a site that formerly nourished the community as a full-service grocery store. Other major supporters of the project include the City of Columbus, Franklin County, the State of Ohio, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

“Mid-Ohio Food Collective appreciates the investment of so many community leaders in our vision for a healthier Eastland community,” said Habash. “Now we’re asking for others to donate and support our work to end hunger, one nourishing meal at a time.”

Construction for the Eastland Prosperity Center will begin in June with plans to open to the public in the second half of 2026.

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About Mid-Ohio Food Collective
Mid-Ohio Food Collective (MOFC) is the largest hunger relief organization in central and eastern Ohio. Through our five assets (the Mid-Ohio Foodbank, Mid-Ohio Farm, Mid-Ohio Farmacy, Mid-Ohio Kitchen, and Mid-Ohio Market), MOFC addresses the root causes of hunger while working with more than 600 partner agencies in 20 counties to feed hundreds of thousands of hungry Ohioans every year. Learn how we’re co-creating hunger-free, healthier communities at www.mofc.org. 

About The Ohio State University Total Health Care Center
The Total Health Care Center—which opened in 2012 as Total Health and Wellness—is a nurse practitioner-led, interdisciplinary, comprehensive health center with a vision to expand primary care and treatment of chronic conditions to the Near East Side of Columbus. The care team includes family nurse practitioners, physicians, certified nurse midwives, psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners, psychologists, mental health counselors, family practice residents, pharmacists, dentists, dietitians and community health workers, as well as nursing and other health science students. The Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) awarded full Federally Qualified Health Center status to the practice in 2019. Learn more about our services and care sites and make an appointment by visiting totalhealthcenter.osu.edu.