Three years after the Franciscan Alliance first envisioned a cutting-edge
free-standing emergency medical facility in Chesterton, the dream has come
to pass.
On Thursday, the Chesterton Health & Emergency Center on Indian Boundary
Road was dedicated and blessed.
It will open for business—24/7/365—on Monday, March 19.
The facility will be staffed by board-certified emergency medicine
physicians and includes an on-site lab and CRT and MRI imaging services, a
two-patient trauma suite, specialized suites for geriatric care and sexual
assault treatment, and a community room for educational events.
In addition, primary and specialty physicians will have their offices there,
with out-patient services available from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The free-standing model in particular “will allow patients to be evaluated,
diagnosed, treated, and released in a timely manner,” said Dr. Jim
Callaghan, president of Franciscan St. Anthony Health. “Anyone who requires
admission to the hospital will be transported to Franciscan St. Anthony
Health by an on-site ambulance service. The focus is on customer
satisfaction.”
“We are very proud of this facility,” said Sister Jane Marie Klein, chair of
the Franciscan Alliance Board of Trustees. “But we are more proud of the
people who made this happen, compassionate, joyful people.”
“Our mission is to bring to Chesterton and Porter County the highest quality
care you’ve been waiting for and you deserve,” added Brenda Rogers, director
of emergency services for Franciscan St. Anthony Health. “This is a hometown
healing place.”
It’s also something else, Chesterton Town Council President Nick Walding,
R-3rd, noted: an economic driver. For years the old Jewel/Osco building
stood vacant, the nearest thing to blight in town. But the Franciscan
Alliance’s $22 million investment in Chesterton has not only revitalized
that stretch of Indian Boundary Road but will serve as the northern anchor
of a healthcare corridor extending south and including the Addison Pointe
nursing home on Dickinson Road, the Lakeshore Bone & Joint Institute at
Coffee Creek Center, and Porter hospital’s new facility at U.S. Highway 6
and Ind. 49.
“It’s a one-stop shopping experience for Chesterton patients,” Walding said.
Its 48,000 square feet include 12,000 square feet for future expansion, and
it has created 70 to 75 full-time employment opportunities.
The Rev. James Meade then conducted a Gospel reading, Luke 7:1-10, and the
Most Rev. Dale Melczek offered a prayer of blessing: “By the grace of Your
Holy Spirit make our Health and Emergency Center a place of healing and a
center of love. Grant that, comforted in their illnesses, the patients will
quickly regain their health and joyfully thank You for the favor they have
received.”
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