Former Today show host Jane Pauley returned to her hometown of Indianapolis Monday for the opening the Jane Pauley Community Health Center.

Pauley was on hand for the ribbon cutting ceremony at the new facility, which is located in the same Eastside neighborhood where the famed journalist grew up.

“That’s just extraordinary,” Pauley said. “These are thousands of patients served, families taken care of.”

Pauley said 16th Street holds plenty of memories for her. She recalled how her father had almost died in nearby Community Hospital East, but lived another 12 years after surgery at the hospital saved his life.

“I grew up as far from 16th Street as I’m standing now,” Pauley told The Indianapolis Star. “This building dates back to the 1950s, and so do I.”

This is just one of 12 Jane Pauley Community Health Centers that cater to people regardless of their insurance status. The first center, established in 2009, saw 1,500 patients in its first four months and now the centers see more than 25,000 patients a year.

"She was just a little girl. She's still just common 'Janey' to me." http://t.co/QZnnkM8QDv pic.twitter.com/xUuRNlD8mh

— IndyStar (@indystar) September 30, 2014

Jane Pauley returns to #Indy for health center opening http://t.co/vFi5xNS4EJ pic.twitter.com/wIwk5dixH6

— WISH-TV (@WISH_TV) September 29, 2014

When Pauley was asked to lend her name to the collaboration with the hospital that would produce the health center, she said she didn’t hesitate.

“I am in awe of what Community East has done for my neighborhood,” she said.

One member of the neighborhood, 87-year-old Sue King, came out to pay tribute to her former neighbor. Having lived just across the street from the Pauley family for years, she remembers the little girl who would become a household name.

One of the best-known daughters of Indy's Eastside, @JanePauleyTODAY, dedicates health center. http://t.co/JRmTM42R6y pic.twitter.com/WYvnRj2W1A

— IndyStar (@indystar) September 30, 2014

“She was just a little girl,” she said, remembering the Jane Pauley with pigtails. “She’s still just common ‘Janey’ to me.”