“When we set out to build St. Elizabeth East, we wanted it to be a hospital known for its superior medical treatment and technology. But we also wanted it to be a place where patients and families felt comfortable and the community was welcome,” said Terry Wilson, president and CEO of St. Elizabeth Regional Health. “Today is a celebration for our entire community because it isn’t just the opening of a new hospital, it is the realization of a shared vision by Tippecanoe County residents, your local physicians and St. Elizabeth employees.”
The ceremony’s theme, “This hospital was built for you,” recognized the Lafayette-area community for the part it played in providing input into St. Elizabeth East’s design, color scheme and other amenities through the Community Visioning Task Force.
Blessing and dedication celebrates history, community partnerships
Sister Jane Marie Klein, OSF, chairperson of the Sisters of St. Francis Health Services board of trustees, began the ceremony by reflecting on the more than 130 year history of St. Elizabeth and Home Hospital in the Lafayette community.
“The six Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration who founded St. Elizabeth arrived in Lafayette with only God’s calling to heal the sick and minister to the poor and disenfranchised. This community warmly embraced the Sisters and their mission, and that tradition of mutual respect, trust and support has continued to grow through the years,” said Sister Jane Marie.
“The building of St. Elizabeth East is a testament to the strong professional collaboration between St. Elizabeth and its many physician partners,” said Daniel Wickert, M.D., chairman of the board for the Western Indiana Region of the Sisters of St. Francis Health Services and a practicing physician with Lafayette OB/GYN. “We appreciated the opportunity to share our opinions and provide input into the hospital’s functional design so that we can do a better job – and that’s what a hospital is all about – allowing physicians, nurses and hospital staff to do a good job, so patients can go home as soon as possible.”
Mayor Tony Roswarski, Lafayette; Mayor John Dennis, West Lafayette; and John Knochel, president of the Tippecanoe County Board of Commissioners, presented Terry Wilson and Dr. Wickert with a proclamation commemorating the event.
To recognize the community’s input into the design of St. Elizabeth East, event attendees were invited to participate in an art activity that allowed them to “make a lasting impression” on the new hospital. Participants made an imprint of their finger or thumb on individual clay tiles, which were collected at the event’s reception. The individual tiles will be dried, fired and glazed by Lafayette ceramics artist Scott Frankenberger. Eventually, the tiles will become part of a permanent art installation at St. Elizabeth East.
St. Elizabeth East offers leading-edge medical care in a patient-centered environment
When opened to patients on Feb. 25, 2010, St. Elizabeth East will feature comprehensive, customized medical treatment, including a Heart Center; a Women’s Center complete with labor and delivery services and a Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit; outpatient services; orthopaedics; high-tech surgical suites and a full-service Emergency Care Center. Other features include:
- Separate entrances for patients of the Heart Center, Women’s Center, Outpatient Center, to make it more convenient for patients to access services specific to their needs.
- Inpatient and outpatient pediatrics located together near the Emergency Care Center and imaging, allowing pediatrics staff to treat children in a separate area that’s sensitive to their individual needs. St. Elizabeth East is one of the few hospitals in Indiana to offer this feature.
- 150 private patient rooms, with patients remaining in the same room throughout their stay, unless they are in the ICU. Any necessary medical equipment comes to the patient instead of the other way around. Each room also includes nurse server station and a digital monitoring and documentation system.
- Eight state-of-the-art operating suites.
- Twenty-six Emergency Care Center rooms, conveniently located near diagnostic and treatment units, clinical laboratories, imaging and surgery.
- “Racetrack” space design that allows the most efficient medical care, delivered in team-based units of physicians, nurses and medical staff.
- Numerous amenities, such as a chapel, room service dining, and in-room wireless computer access and a digital television entertainment system.
- Interior courtyard, soothing color scheme and custom artwork – all designed around the theme of Indiana’s rural landscapes.
On Saturday, Feb. 13, the entire Tippecanoe County community is invited to an open house at St. Elizabeth East from noon to 3 p.m. by entering any of the hospital’s four entrances. Visitors can tour the new hospital, located at 1701 S. Creasy Lane, before it officially opens to patients. The event is free. To learn more, visit www.ste.org.
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Editor’s note: St. Elizabeth East photos are available upon request by contacting Matthew Oates at (765) 423-6565 or matt.oates@ssfhs.org.
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