Lutheran Health Network announced plans to build a new hospital in downtown Fort Wayne. The new project will replace St. Joseph Hospital.
The downtown area will see a new hospital in 2019. The addition is part of Lutheran Health Network’s 5 year plan and 500 million dollar investment to their current medical campuses.
St. Joseph Hospital was Fort Wayne's first hospital and has existed for almost 150 years. Even though it has gone through renovations, regional president and CEO of Lutheran Health Network, Mike Poore, said the facility has its limitations.
“When this hospital was built there were no MRIs. MRIs are very large, they take up space, it takes a very specific room to be built in. So we will be able to do all of that in one place,” said Poore.
Poore says the new hospital will have bigger patient rooms and with a new facility they will be better equipped to monitor patients. The new project comes after a year of deliberation with St. Joseph physicians and hospital board members.
The new facility is currently in its development stage and will consist of a multi-story hospital, medical support facilities and parking.
The network is still looking for a location but Poore says they are committed to stay in the downtown area, they want to be a part of the growth and will be able to fill community needs.
The network will work with the City of Fort Wayne and the Fort Wayne Redevelopment Commission to determine the best location for the new medical campus.
Lutheran Health Network hopes to begin construction in 2018. They expect to finish the project in about one year. St. Joseph Hospital will continue to operate normally.
“We don’t have a decision made about what will happen to the current building. Of course we are going to operate this hospital up until the day we move into the new hospital. So all of those services will continue,” said Poore.