INDIANAPOLIS — Community Health Network and Lifepoint Behavioral Health, a business unit of Lifepoint Health, announced recently that they have formed a joint venture partnership to build and operate new inpatient behavioral health hospitals in central Indiana. The formation of the joint venture follows the partners’ September announcement of their intention to expand their existing work together to encompass behavioral healthcare and marks the next step in plans to create greater access to inpatient and outpatient specialty care in central Indiana.
The partners anticipate building two new 120-bed hospitals in the greater Indianapolis area, increasing total behavioral health beds in the network and ensuring dedicated treatment spaces for complex needs. This expansion in behavioral health services reflects the escalating need for such services in central Indiana. The recent Community Mental Health Needs Assessment for Marion County, published by the Center for Health Policy at Indiana University, found that two-thirds of county residents who needed treatment for a serious mental illness did not receive it.
The partners anticipate construction for new facilities will begin in early 2026. Upon completion, Lifepoint Behavioral Health will manage day-to-day operations for the free-standing hospitals, which will fold seamlessly into the current Community Fairbanks Behavioral Health continuum of care.