On July 22, Franciscan Health Michigan City and The Most Reverend Robert J. McClory, bishop of the Diocese of Gary blessed and dedicated the revitalized campus of the Homer Street Building.
Franciscan Health welcomed Michigan City residents to view the 14-bed behavioral medicine unit, which will relocate and open for operations later this summer. President and CEO of Franciscan Health Dean Mazzoni opened up the blessing and dedication by emphasizing the hospital’s strong ties to the Michigan City community.
“We've been here since 1904, and we're looking forward to another 100 years of providing great care to the community,” said Mazzoni. “That's our mission. We're very proud of that long-standing history.”
Mazzoni remarked upon Franciscan Health’s dedication to the community as well.
“We promised the community that if we cannot reuse the old Stanley Hospital in a meaningful way, then we will continue to address the needs of our community,” said Mazzoni. “We would not leave a large, abandoned facility behind at this site. Today, we fulfill that promise while keeping our Franciscan mission alive.”
That dedication that Franciscan Health has to Michigan City shines through the large investment that the hospital has made into the Homer Street Building.
“This is incredible. I'm really proud of the investment that Franciscan has made back in the community,” said Mazzoni. “On the heels of building a $250 million replacement hospital, Franciscan turned around and invested another $20 million to bring much-needed programs and services back into this community. It’s nice to see this facility repurposed in a meaningful way that extends our mission and meets the needs of the community.”
The community not only needs services for the elderly, but also for expectant mothers. The Franciscan Alliance, the Catholic healthcare system that contains Franciscan Health Michigan City, will meet that need as it tentatively plans to open the Prenatal Assistance Program in October. The program will provide access to care and resources to expectant mothers who might not otherwise be able to receive such services. This program will complement WIC, the supplemental nutrition program for women, infants, and children, which already leases space in the Homer Street building.
Franciscan will also offer physician offices and other services that extend the Franciscan Health mission and address community needs at the Homer Street Building. Franciscan Health revealed that the new Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) is set to begin operations in October. PACE will provide services to coordinate care and a social gathering space for La Porte and Porter County adults 55 and over.
Mazzoni noted that 40 to 60 new jobs will be added thanks to the new programs through this campus.
“Any time we bring a new program or new services into the community, we need professionals at all levels to help us provide those services. So when we bring a program like PACE or behavioral medicine into the community and we grow those programs, we need new nurses, physicians, housekeepers, and pharmacists,” Mazzoni said. “Everybody who could help make the team up and provide care to the team are needed. All those types of positions are what we’re looking for and more.”
To keep up-to-date on the progress of the Franciscan Health Homer Street campus in Michigan City, visit www.franciscanhealth.org/about/news-and-media.
