An agreement between IU Health LaPorte Hospital, Community Health Systems and Indiana University Health will mean greater access to medical care for local residents and provide an economic boost to Starke and LaPorte Counties. That’s according to officials from the three entities, who announced details of a new healthcare partnership in a joint news release. Continue reading
IU Health Officials Unveil Additional Hospital Plans
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.” Continue reading
IU Health Starke Hospital President Updates Council, Commissioners
IU Health Starke Hospital intends to renew its lease with the county for the current facility. President Craig Felty told the council and commissioners Monday a formal notice will be forthcoming in 30 to 60 days. Right now due diligence is continuing in the proposed acquisition of IU Health Starke and LaPorte Hospitals by Community Health Systems. Continue reading
Scale Mock-Up Aids Hospital Design Planning
IU Health Starke Hospital officials are using a life-size cardboard mock-up of their proposed new facility to finalize design plans. President Craig Felty says the blueprint doesn’t do it justice.
“When you see something actually 3-D and real life, it really puts it into perspective. It really helps to solidify what we have in the blueprint but also shows us so much more, that we could actually make it so much better than we thought. On the blueprint it looks good, but it looks so much better when it’s actually all put up together.”
IU Health Offers Tours of Full-Size Hospital Mock-Up
IU Health officials are working on plans for a new, state-of-the-art hospital in Knox. President Craig Felty says the lean concept design will focus on efficiency.
“It’s going to be a licensed hospital. We’ll have all the outpatient complementary services that we offer now – x-ray, lab, CT, MRI – all of the diagnostic imaging options we have now. It will have a full-service emergency department. We’re looking right now at a 10-bed hospital, or a 10 bed inpatient unit, if you will.”
Members of the public are invited to take a tour of a life-sized, cardboard mock-up of the proposed new design. It is set up at the former Freeman Products Building at 888 S. CR 300 East in Knox. Tours will be available Tuesday, Aug. 4 from 4 until 6 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 6 from 7:30 until 9:30 a.m. and Friday, Aug. 7 at 10 a.m. Continue reading
IU Health Starke Hospital’s Bistro 35 Offers Healthy Meal Options
Bistro 35 at IU Health Starke Hospital is open for business. President Craig Felty says the first floor eatery is run by the hospital’s food and nutrition department and is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
“We have an actual grill area with probably about 15 to 20 different items on there,” Felty said. “We have a cold case that’s got cold sandwiches and stuff like that you can just grab and go if you need to. We also have a really nice salad bar that’s got a lot of healthy choices.”
Bistro 35 opened in May, but Felty says they recently added a new option. Continue reading
IU Health Starke President Discusses New Hospital Plans
IU Health Starke Hospital officials hope to break ground on a new hospital in Knox within the next year. President Craig Felty says there’s no room to grow in the current building.
IU Health Starke Hospital President Talks Partnership, New Building
IU Health Starke Hospital President Craig Felty hopes to close on the sale of the Knox and LaPorte facilities to one of the nation’s largest for-profit hospital groups by the end of the year. He told the Starke County Council the hospitals and Community Health Systems are still in their due diligence period prior to finalizing the purchase. Continue reading
Starke County Council Set to Close 2014 Books
The Starke County Council will close the books on 2014 during a special meeting this afternoon. Their agenda includes budget status reports of the county general, highway, assessors and health funds. Continue reading
IU Health Starke Hospital Named Chamber Business of the Year
IU Health Starke Hospital’s commitment to the community has earned them the honor of being named 2015 Business of the Year by the Starke County Chamber of Commerce. The formal award will be presented on Thursday, Nov. 6 at the chamber’s annual dinner. Continue reading
IU Health Starke President Discusses Strategic Partner Search
IU Health Starke and LaPorte Hospitals are in search of health care delivery partners to provide the best care possible to the residents they serve. IU Health Starke President Craig Felty says they’ve sent out requests for proposals and are keeping their options open.
“Our goal would really be to maintain a relationship with IU Health,” Felty said last week during an interview at WKVI. “We cherish that relationship, but we also just identify that over the years as health care has changed we need to look for somebody additional who might be able to help us meet that need.” Continue reading
IU Health Starke Hospital Associates Plan Day of Service
IU Health Starke Hospital associates will be getting out of the medical setting tomorrow to spruce up the community. President Craig Felty says all hospitals in the IU Health system take part in a community day of service. This year the local staff is installing fitness equipment and painting the pavilion at Sandy Acres Park on South Heaton Street in Knox. ”
“We want to be good neighbors. We want to engage the community, and we want to do what is best in order to help achieve our mission, which is to improve the health of our patients and our communities we are in,” Felty says.
Last year IU Health Starke Hospital associates did work at Wythogen Park in downtown Knox. Felty encourages community members to stop by and visit the IU Health Starke Hospital administrators and staff members at the park tomorrow.
Numerous Screenings Available at Community Health Fair
IU Health Starke Hospital and Community Services of Starke County are hosting a free health fair this afternoon at the Nancy J. Dembowski Community Center in downtown Knox. Hospital President Craig Felty encourages people to stop by and see what services are available locally.
“We will have several educational opportunities for people to come in. We’ll also be doing several different types of screenings, which is very important. It helps us to increase the wellness of patients and maybe prevent something or catch something before it gets out of hand. This is a great opportunity to come out, see what is offered at your local hospital, get some free screenings and get some good information about how to stay healthy,” Felty said. Continue reading
Annual Community Health Fair Scheduled May 13
The annual IU Health and Community Services of Starke County Health Fair will take place Tuesday, May 13 from 2 until 7 p.m. at the Nancy J. Dembowski Community Center in downtown Knox. IU Health Starke Hospital President Craig Felty says both organizations are dedicated to improving the health of local residents. He says the health fair will feature a number of educational exhibits and several types of screenings. Blood pressure and blood sugar checks, breast exams, oral cancer screenings and osteoporosis checks will all be offered. Also take-home colorectal cancer screening kits will be available. Felty says checking for these types of conditions is critical in order to catch and treat problems before they become significant. IU Health Starke Hospital is also licensed to inspect child safety seats. Technicians will be available at the health fair to make sure car seats are properly installed and sized for the child. This year’s health fair will also feature a coloring area for youngsters so parents and other adults can more easily browse the exhibits and take part in the screenings.
