INDIANAPOLIS — Community Health Network celebrated a milestone in the construction of a new state of the art hospital. The patient tower opened at Community Hospital East, and includes an all new emergency department, medical imaging, surgery, delivery, and inpatient rooms.
The public was invited to tour the new space at an open house Saturday, February 2.
Designed with input by Community patients, some of the state of the art features include:
• innovative bedside technology
• enhanced privacy features
• emergency department nearly doubled in size (72 rooms, up from 32)
• NIC2 model of care allows mom to deliver and reside in the same room as newborn who requires neonatal intensive care
• Clean waste technology which will reduce the carbon footprint by 90%
When completed, the hospital will have fewer square feet, but will have more rooms for patients and a larger emergency center with six bays for ambulances.
Inside, patient rooms will feature Apple iPads that will connect to Apple TVs, and patients will be able to review their medical information bedside. Family visitors will find more amenities, include a family comfort room. Local artists, include Wayne Kimmel, are featured on the walls, and local food products such as goat cheese from the Paramount School of Excellence, are available in the Bistro downstairs.
Community is investing $175 million in the east side by building a brand new hospital that will be completed in 2020. Construction of the new Community East, which began in the spring of 2016, is taking place in several phases, all designed to prevent disruption in patient care. The tower has been under construction since the summer of 2018. Patients began moving into the new tower February 4.
Founded in 1956 as a result of a huge fund-raising effort started by volunteers in the community, the hospital on the corner of 16th and Ritter has always been an innovator. The original building’s air conditioning was quite a novelty at the time; when the Towers were built in 1964, the innovative design of having a central nursing station and rooms surrounding it was one of the first of its kind in the country.
Built by the community, Community Health Network’s first hospital has been actively engaged in the development of the east side. They have supported many local organizations and initiatives on the eastside, including the Emerson gateway project south of the I-70 interchange.
The next wave of construction will be the demolition of the old patient towers, and the building of a new main entrance. The NeuroDiagnotist Institute building, which is a new mental health treatment facility that will replace LaRue Carter Hospital, is slated to open in March.
