The $20 million project to repurpose the former home of Franciscan Health Michigan City is set to begin in November, with construction completed in fall 2021, bringing new services to a revitalized Homer Street campus.
Initial work will include demolition of the 1986 and older buildings. Approximately two-thirds of the existing facility will be removed, primarily along Wabash Street and the corner of West Ripley Street. The 2001 patient tower, emergency department and parking garage will remain.
Those remaining facilities will be remodeled and used to offer new services that extend the Franciscan Health mission and directly address priorities identified by a recent Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA). Those needs include access to behavioral health services, drug and alcohol treatment and healthy and nutritious foods.
The revitalized campus will welcome back Franciscan Health’s behavioral medicine unit, the only such facility in LaPorte County and surrounding communities. In addition, the site will host Franciscan Health’s Program for the All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), providing a social gathering space for adults 55 and over and services to coordinate their care. Physician offices and other services and programming based on community need will round out the offerings.
“I’m grateful that the Franciscan Alliance Board of Directors have centered their plan to repurpose our Homer Street campus on the health needs of the community. From providing mental health services and nutrition programs, to giving our elderly residents a place to gather and receive healthcare services, this is truly a mission-driven project,” said Franciscan Health Michigan City President and CEO Dean Mazzoni.
The board approved the funding to completely repurpose Franciscan Health’s Homer Street campus after the opening of a new hospital at 3500 Franciscan Way in January 2019.
