Carla Dempsey
Healthcare organizations across the state are navigating an evolving landscape marked by expansion, partnership, innovation and long-term strategic planning.
In this feature, healthcare leaders share the recent, current and upcoming strategic initiatives driving growth and transformation within their health systems.
Ron Stiver, President, System Health Solutions, Indiana University Health
At IU Health, we are working to make high-quality care more accessible while also ensuring it is affordable to all Hoosiers. A few noteworthy examples of our investments in clinical care include:
• IU Health’s new downtown Indianapolis medical campus, opening in late 2027, will consolidate adult care services from Methodist and University Hospitals onto a single campus with 864 private beds, 50 operating rooms, and 380 outpatient exam rooms – all of which are designed with our patients, families and providers in mind. The campus will serve as a destination for top medical and research talent.
• The three-part Greater Lafayette Community Growth Project will bring the city’s first hospital to West Lafayette, a state-of-the-art cancer center to the Arnett Hospital campus in Lafayette, and a substantial expansion to the number of specialty medical services available in West Lafayette. This project ensures residents continue to have access to essential healthcare services, close to home.
• IU Health’s new Fort Wayne hospital will accommodate its growing population. The facility will include 140 beds, 17 emergency department exam rooms, 6 operating rooms, 3 catheterization labs, and 3-4 endoscopy rooms to help meet the diverse healthcare needs of the community.
As these new facilities open, IU Health will transition to the Epic electronic health record system in mid-2027. This marks a major investment in enhancing patient care and support for our clinicians. Epic will enable improved collaboration and integration across the system. It’s noteworthy that these investments have not come at the expense of implementing our multi-year affordability plan, in which we’ve saved Hoosiers approximately $1.4B through price adjustments over a five-year timeframe.
Donald P. Fesko, OD, MBA, FACHE, President and CEO, Powers Health
Over the past year, Powers Health has continued to invest in Northwest Indiana by building new facilities and expanding comprehensive medical services.
Leveraging the strengths and resources of both Powers Health and fellowship-trained physicians, we now offer a state-of-the-art Cancer Care Center and the Joint and Spine Center at Powers Health, both in Crown Point. To continue growing with Northwest Indiana, St. Catherine Hospital has expanded and remodeled its Emergency Department, while a five-story medical office building is taking shape on the Community Hospital campus in Munster. Expansion also continues in Valparaiso at St. Mary Medical Center Outpatient Center with a 71,000-square-foot, two-floor addition to include Outpatient Therapy Services, Audiology, Rheumatology, and space for primary and specialty physician offices, including Orthopedic and Cardiovascular services.
Powers Health is proud of the deep roots we have in Northwest Indiana. These projects reflect our commitment to investing in the health of our community.
Jim Callaghan, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Franciscan Alliance
Franciscan is in the midst of physical changes to the healthcare landscape across Indiana, all of which support our regional approach to healthcare to best serve the needs of our communities.
In Northwest Indiana, our expansion project at Franciscan Health Munster is ongoing, with many Franciscan Physician Network offices moving into the expanded medical office tower in recent months as the inpatient hospital tower expansion continues.
The transformation of Franciscan Health Dyer into a behavioral health campus is pending for late 2027, filling a much-needed gap in care in the Region. Inpatient, emergency and surgical services will move from Dyer to the expanded Munster campus in early 2028.
In Crown Point, The Dean and Barbara White Cancer Center is currently under construction by Tonn and Blank adjacent to the new Franciscan Health Crown Point hospital at 12750 St. Francis Drive and is slated to open in 2027.
In Valparaiso, we are excited to be bringing a new medical office building to support Franciscan Health Michigan City. The two-story, 82,881-square-foot building at State Roads 2 and 49 will house an ExpressCare, primary care and specialty physician offices, diagnostic imaging, CT, MRI, ultrasound and laboratory services. That is slated for completion in late 2027.
A similar project is also nearing completion in St. John. The building at 10323 Wicker Ave. mirrors the Valparaiso project in design and services. This building is also scheduled to be completed in late 2027.
Franciscan Health Lafayette in June 2025 announced plans to build a full-service, freestanding Emergency Department in West Lafayette. The new facility will be located on Franciscan Health’s property at the corner of US 52/231 and Cumberland Avenue. A team of nearly 40 full-time co-workers is expected to staff the ED.
The ED will be located just south of the currently under-construction Franciscan OrthoIndy Surgery Center, which will feature an orthopedic clinic and surgery center, as well as provide orthopedic urgent care, physical therapy, and imaging services.
In November 2025, Franciscan Health announced plans to significantly expand its inpatient acute rehabilitation and outpatient therapy services on its Indianapolis campus. The project includes the construction of a new 40-bed inpatient rehabilitation hospital, designed to accommodate 20 additional beds in the future and a state-of-the-art outpatient therapy center. Construction is expected to be completed over the next two years.
Patrick McGill, MD, DHA, MBA, President and CEO, Community Health Network
Community Health Network focuses on strong growth investments in areas where Indiana is growing, expanding access to services close to home. A major example is the development of Community Hospital Westfield, now under construction in one of the state’s fastest-growing communities.
The new Westfield campus will ultimately include a brand-new, full-service hospital supported by emergency room services, an ambulatory surgery center and physician offices. The hospital, ER and surgery center will open next year, while a medical office building opened adjacent to the hospital site about a year ago, providing a variety of primary and specialty care services.
Community also is growing its Community Health Network MD Anderson Cancer Center services in multiple locations. Community MD Anderson is a partnership between Community and the world-renowned MD Anderson Cancer Center, launched with the aim of delivering cutting-edge cancer care in Indiana and reducing the need for Hoosiers to travel for advanced care.
One example is the Stem Cell Transplant and Cellular Therapy Institute, bringing to Indiana highly specialized therapies to patients who previously might have had to leave the state for care. A major expansion at Community MD Anderson on the Community Hospital North campus will become the home of the institute this summer. Community is also investing in growing its other Community MD Anderson locations near its acute-care hospitals and has opened a Carmel location.
A partnership between Community and Lifepoint Behavioral Health is presently working to increase much-needed access to mental health services in Indiana. Among other efforts, the partnership is developing two new behavioral health hospitals in the Indianapolis area.
Tess Ottenweller, Vice President of Intensive Services, Bowen Health
Bowen Health is in a period of intentional growth, focused on strengthening access to primary care for those with mental health challenges, continuity, and outcomes across the full spectrum of care. One highlight of this strategic growth is Bowen Commons, a new Transitional Living Home that is scheduled to open later this year (2026). Bowen Commons will provide a step-down residential option for individuals with serious mental illness who are moving toward independent community living. This model emphasizes recovery, skill-building, and stability, with on-site supports and strong clinical integration. The most profound shift in thinking is incorporating work or employment goals. While we have had individuals in our residential living programs, we hadn’t made it a core part of the learning process. Dr. Rob Ryan, President/CEO, says, “Every human being needs to have a sense of purpose, a reason to get up in the morning, a reason to exist. At the very start of our evaluation process, work skills and goals are now part of a patient’s plan.”
Beyond Bowen Commons, we continue to invest in our integrated continuum of care, which uniquely includes a community mental health center (CMHC), an inpatient psychiatric hospital, and a federally qualified health center look alike (FQHC LAL). This model allows us to offer “no wrong door” access to behavioral health, primary care, crisis services, substance use treatment, and residential group homes, ensuring individuals receive the right care at the right time without fragmentation.
We are also advancing strategic partnerships, technology enhancements, and service line integration to improve care coordination, reduce avoidable hospital utilization, and strengthen community-based supports across Northern Indiana.
Randy Christophel, President and CEO, Goshen Health
Our most significant strategic initiative is our recently announced partnership with Parkview Health. We are currently in the due diligence and regulatory review phases and, pending approvals, anticipate formally joining the Parkview Health system later this year. Together, we expect Goshen Health to serve as a regional hub for care, expanding access to advanced services while strengthening the long-term sustainability of healthcare in our community.
At the same time, Goshen Health continues to see strong growth across key service lines, reflecting increasing demand for high quality, local care and reinforcing the importance of investing in access, talent and clinical excellence.
Diane Maas, Chief Strategy and Digital Transformation Officer, Beacon Health System
Smart Growth is one of Beacon’s six strategic imperatives, and it’s about more than adding new locations. It’s about ensuring we have the right care, in the right locations, that is designed around the consumer.
We recently opened the outpatient center in the heart of downtown Mishawaka, bringing together primary care, specialist physicians, advanced imaging and physical therapy under one roof. The location reflects our commitment to convenient, connected access, meeting patients where they are rather than asking them to navigate a large hospital campus for routine needs.
Over the past several years, we have also expanded our ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) through joint ventures with physicians, placing procedural care in community-based settings that are more convenient and more affordable for patients. Most recently, we expanded one of those ASCs to accommodate growing demand in GI services. In December, we added infusion, rheumatology and therapy services at Beacon Granger Hospital, extending the breadth of outpatient care available in that community.
On a larger scale, our most significant capital commitment is the new patient tower at Memorial Hospital of South Bend, slated to open in late 2026 or early 2027. This investment adds inpatient capacity and modernized facilities that reflect Beacon’s long-term commitment to the region and its ability to support increasingly advanced treatment options.
Perhaps the most transformative expression of that strategy came in July 2025, when Beacon completed the acquisition of the former Ascension Southwest Michigan properties: four hospitals, 35 outpatient locations and an ASC. That milestone meaningfully strengthened our network across northern Indiana and southwest Michigan, expanding our geographic reach and our ability to serve patients on both sides of the state line.
Dr. Matthew Lavery, President and CEO, OrthoIndy
OrthoIndy is actively advancing several strategic initiatives focused on expanding access, improving quality and affordability, and strengthening collaboration across Indiana.
Notably, OrthoIndy is part of OrthoIndiana, a clinically integrated orthopedic network that brings together OrthoIndy in Indianapolis, Tri-State Orthopaedics in Evansville and Fort Wayne Orthopedics. This collaboration represents a significant step toward building a new statewide, independent orthopedic network designed to ensure patients have access to high-quality care close to home. OrthoIndiana now spans 39 locations, with 160 physicians and more than 1,800 team members. By sharing technology, clinical data, best practices and administrative expertise, the network is positioned to enhance consistency, efficiency and patient outcomes across the state.
Additionally, OrthoIndy has been a key partner in innovative care delivery models with payors and employers. In collaboration with Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, OrthoIndy helped develop the HealthSync Designated Orthopedic Network, launched January 1, 2026. This program addresses longstanding variation in orthopedic care by guiding patients to high-quality, cost-effective providers for procedures such as hip and knee replacements. The result is a more predictable, value-driven experience for patients and employers, with a focus on better outcomes at a lower total cost of care.
Furthermore, OrthoIndy continues to grow its physical footprint and service capabilities across central Indiana. Recent alignments include Indiana Hand to Shoulder Center and expanded collaboration in the Greater Lafayette region, including a partnership with Franciscan Health and OrthoIndy Lafayette on a new surgery center. These efforts reflect a broader commitment to meeting patients where they are and ensuring timely access to specialized orthopedic care.
Together, these initiatives reinforce OrthoIndy’s long-term strategy: expanding access, strengthening clinical collaboration and delivering high-quality, cost-effective orthopedic care to patients across Indiana.