FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) With the completion of a brand new $118 million hospital downtown, Fort Wayne and Allen County residents ought to be reassured the Lutheran Well being Community is powerful and right here to remain.
That was one of many messages Twilla Lee, CEO of the Lutheran Downtown Hospital, conveyed Monday at a Fort Wayne Rotary Membership luncheon. Lutheran Well being Community CEO Scott Teffeteller was additionally to look on the luncheon, however cancelled for an unidentified motive.
“There was an enormous funding,” Lee mentioned throughout a media query and reply after the luncheon. “118 million {dollars}. We’re not going to stroll away from that. There’s additionally funding for the medical workplace renovation. We’ve different tasks which can be investments from CHS (Group Well being Techniques) so from a Fort Wayne perspective and the dedication to Fort Wayne, we’re completely assured in our mum or dad company’s emphasis and their funding in to the Fort Wayne market.”
A CHS fourth quarter earnings report issued Feb. 16 confirmed a lower in web revenue final 12 months to $178 million from $311 million in 2020 throughout the identical time interval.
Right here in Allen County, Lutheran Well being Community paid greater than $19 million in native taxes in 2020 with $47 million in capital funding and made practically 890,000 in donations and outreach contributions, acording to a slide present offered by Lee.
With the prospect of IU Well being more likely to construct a hospital three miles away from Lutheran’s principal hospital and trauma middle, Lee introduced the dialogue again to the downtown hospital. Hospital runs she mentioned would go wherever was closest.
“Past that I’ve at all times mentioned we would like of us to decide on Lutheran Downtown Hospital and it comes again to our mission assertion. We need to give compassionate care with excellence to each affected person each time. If we do this, our popularity will assist to drive our quantity,” Lee mentioned.
Hiring nurses and different workers has been a problem because it has with different well being care programs, however the downtown hospital has a workers loyal to the situation.
“Tradition is necessary. We’ve obtained a terrific set of leaders and we’ve improved drastically our worker engagement scores,” Lee mentioned. “It has been a tough 12 months recruiting, particularly nurses. (We’re) working very diligently,” moreover providing advantages and the “capacity to be a part of a workforce.”
With the brand new downtown hospital open since November, the outdated hospital is within the means of being demolished “brick by brick, east to west,” Lee mentioned. As soon as the outdated hospital constructing is gone, Lutheran will construct a car parking zone with inexperienced areas and parking with round 200 areas.
The medical workplace constructing will probably be renovated. After one Rotarian requested in regards to the burn unit, Lee mentioned it had been moved to the principle Lutheran Hospital and it received’t be coming again downtown.
With a downtown rising with new buildings and redevelopment, Lee foresees a development in sufferers and the hospital is seeing “extra neighborhood of us” come to the brand new facility.
“We proceed to care for individuals who are on the unlucky facet,” Lee added.
One other query centered on readiness in pure disasters or a twister. Lee mentioned the downtown hospital has generator capability for per week.
Speciality providers at Lutheran downtown embody cardiology and cardiovascular care, gastroenterology, common and bariatric surgical procedure, orthopedic surgical procedure and pulmonology. Companies to come back embody nephrology and dialysis.