IU Health Officials Unveil Additional Hospital Plans

Posted on Author WKVI
The hospital design is laid out on paper to provide a visual guide of how the pieces fit together.
The hospital design is laid out on paper to provide a visual guide of how the pieces fit together.

IU Health Starke Hospital officials are putting the finishing touches on the design of a new, state-of-the-art hospital. A second cardboard mock-up of the space is set up at the former Freeman Products building at the intersection of Culver Road and Klockner Drive in Knox. IU Health Starke Hospital President Craig Felty says they’ve taken public input to heart.

“We started out with four beds. Our first plan for this had 10 beds. Now we’re up to 13 beds with two of those being flex beds, and we also have the ability to buy bed sheets online for the upcoming beds. We have pre-op and post-op beds we can use for patients, and we’ve increased the amount of beds in the emergency department because our emergency department is really, really growing.”

Each of the patient rooms will have a private bath and shower, visitor seating and a recliner in case a family member wants to spend the night. They will also feature a linen and supply storage area that is accessible from the both the hallway and inside the room so the housekeeping staff does not have to disturb the patient.

Felty says the new hospital will be patient-friendly and will provide the best care possible to meet all of the community’s needs.

“Our services we do here are within immediate walking distance as you walk in the door. Wellness and rehab is right there. You won’t have to trek through the hospital to get to it. The blood draw station is within 15-20 feet of registration. Diagnostic imaging you saw last month is right there at the entrance.”

Bistro 35, the recently opened community dining facility at the existing hospital, will be incorporated into the food service area of the new building. Plans call for private dining areas as well. They will be suitable for group meetings and will also offer families of patients a quiet retreat.

The fitness center will also feature state-of-the-art amenities and 24-hour community access via swipe card.

Felty says a lot of input from colleagues has gone into designing a facility to accommodate Starke County’s health care needs for the next half century or longer. He says hospital officials have also used consultants to project patient volumes in five to 10 years.

Members of the community can tour the mock-up tomorrow from 2 until 4 p.m. Felty hopes to finalize plans and break ground on the new building early next year. It will be located between the existing hospital and medical office building. Once it’s complete, the current hospital will be torn down and turned into a parking area.

Mock up 2
The front desk at the main entrance.
Mock up 3
The main waiting area will offer seating for various outpatient procedures.
Mock up 4
Each of the registration booths will be separated by glass in order to ensure patient privacy.
Mock up 5
The pharmacy at the new hospital will have a service window that can eventually be used for retail patient pickup.
Mock up 6
Each area has a list of likes and potential improvements, which will be incorporated into the final plans.
Mock up 7
The pharmacy area features two clean rooms.
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The photo to the right depicts what this area of the pharmacy will look like when it’s finished.
Mock up 9
Each of the patient rooms will have an area outside where the nursing staff can look in unobtrusively while doing paperwork.
Mock up 10
Each of the patient rooms will have a single bed and ample seating for visitors.
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Patient rooms will also have their own toilet and shower facilities.
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The housekeeping staff will be able to access the supply closets in the patient rooms from the hallway.
Mock up 13
The nurses station is centrally located in the patient area.