St. Francis announces integration of inpatient services

Criterion staff report

Citing the changing needs of a growing population in the Indianapolis area, St. Francis Hospital and Health Care Centers recently announced plans to build a $200 million, five-story, inpatient hospital tower at its Indianapolis campus on the city’s far south side.

With the new facility scheduled to open in 2010, the project also calls for a change to the hospital’s Beech Grove campus—transforming that longstanding inpatient facility into a setting for outpatient services, according to a statement released by the hospital on March 5.

“Since 1989, when the land was purchased for where the Indianapolis campus now resides, we have been planning St. Francis Hospital’s continued evolution in meeting the needs of a growing and changing population,” said Robert J. Brody, president and chief executive officer of St. Francis Hospital and Health Care Centers.

Hospital administrators also said they are still committed to the Beech Grove campus and the surrounding community.

“We remain committed to meeting the needs of residents of the Beech Grove community, where St. Francis Hospital was founded in 1914,” said Franciscan Sister of Perpetual Adoration Marlene Shapley, vice president of mission integration for St. Francis. “That’s the same now as it was when the sisters were first invited here almost 100 years ago.”

Besides the 206-bed tower, the hospital also plans other new facilities at its Indianapolis campus, including new inpatient-surgery operating suites, and an expanded and relocated emergency department.

The changes are in response to the growing population in communities around its Indianapolis campus, hospital administrators noted. Demand for health care services in those communities has increased, making the Indianapolis campus the natural place to consolidate inpatient services, administrators said.

“We are constantly seeking ways to improve the services we provide for our patients, physicians and other medical professionals,” said D. Keith Jewell, senior vice president and chief operating officer for St. Francis. “Consolidating inpatient services onto one campus enables us to be

prudent financial stewards while providing the best care for the community.”

The planned changes are the latest in a series of moves made by St. Francis.

St. Francis Hospital-Mooresville is in the midst of a $42 million expansion that is scheduled to be completed in 2008. The hospital also opened a new medical facility in Plainfield in 2006.

Focusing on the most recent plans, Brody said, “Our efforts will enable us to responsibly continue our mission through a systematic consolidation of services and facilities where Indianapolis and Mooresville will be our primary inpatient sites.” †