IU Health Unveils $1.6B Downtown Indy Hospital

INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana University Health has announced plans for a $1.6
billion hospital in downtown Indianapolis that will consolidate its two
existing adult hospitals. The health system says the hospital will be part
of an expanded campus that will also include research and education
facilities for the IU School of Medicine. IU Health says the long talked
about move is the largest investment in its history and will eliminate the
“costly duplication of high-acuity services” while furthering its mission to
provide high-quality care.

IU Health has filed plans with the city to request a Central Business
District classification, which it says will provide zoning flexibility to
“develop the diverse uses proposed for the 44-acre medical campus
expansion.”

“The time has come to move ahead on this transformative project to
revitalize our downtown facilities,” Dennis Murphy, chief executive officer
of IU Health, said in a news release. “It has taken us several years to
imagine, analyze, and decide how best to proceed. Together with city
officials, neighbors and other partners, we are designing a campus with a
destination hospital to provide state-of-the-art care for future generations
of Hoosiers.”

The expanded campus will be located just south of the existing IU Health
Methodist Hospital campus. At its core will be the new hospital, which will
feature three glass-fronted towers about 10 stories tall with a rooftop
helipad and enclosed walkways to nearby buildings and a parking garage.

The hospital will have the ability to hold up to 576 private patient beds
and expansive outpatient care areas.

“The coronavirus pandemic has critically influenced the design of the new
hospital and campus, reinforcing the need for a flexible design with
acuity-adaptable spaces, including sufficient intensive care units to handle
surges of ill or infectious patients,” said Dr. Ryan Nagy, president of IU
Health Methodist and University hospitals. “The new hospital will enhance
the patient experience and our workforce will benefit from a design that
supports more efficiency in care delivery and operations.”

IU Health says the construction on the new hospital will take place over the
next six years. Once complete, the health system will consolidate operations
from its Methodist and University hospitals into the new facility. Much of
the Methodist hospital complex will then undergo renovations and connect to
the new hospital to provide additional beds, exam rooms and other clinical
space.

The health system says it also aims to award 25% participation on design and
construction projects to certified veteran, women, and minority-owned
businesses, while also achieving 50% local business participation as it
develops the new hospital and campus.

Riley Hospital for Children will not be part of the new campus, but the
health system says it will continue to be an “integral part of its care
mission.”

Source: Inside Indiana Business with Gerry Dick, rendering courtesy of IU
Health