Franciscan hospital undergoing multimillion expansion in Munster

Expansion plans call for more user-friendly patient rooms, a full-service emergency department and a hospital chapel, said Joe Dejanovic, spokesman for Franciscan Alliance.

“The full-service emergency department is very important. It will be open 24/7 and give those who need emergency care more access,” he said.

This emergency room just off Calumet Avenue will be located midway between the ERs at Franciscan St. Margaret Health in Dyer and Munster Community Hospital.

The hospital chapel extends the mission of Franciscan Alliance, a health care system founded by the Sisters of St. Francis, and “will offer patients, family and staff a sacred space where they can pray and seek consolation, hope, peace and healing,” according to information provided by Dejanovic.

Originally called Physicians Hospital, the 63-bed acute-care hospital at 701 Superior Ave. was bought by Franciscan Alliance in 2007.

Part of the addition of new patient rooms started in January when officials at Franciscan Healthcare-Munster reopened the third floor of the hospital as private patient rooms for a medical-surgical unit.

Orthopedic service is a new focus for this hospital, and the third-floor rooms offer on-site physical therapy and a high nurse-to-patient ratio, Dejanovic said.

A planned helipad will allow medical helicopters to access Franciscan Healthcare-Munster to transport patients. The addition of the helipad is part of the construction plans submitted to the Town of Munster, said Clay Johnson, assistant town manager.

Johnson said a café will also be built in the new part of the hospital.

Franciscan Alliance selected Michigan City-based Tonn and Blank Construction Co. for the expansion project.

“There’s already been a lot of site work for utilities done,” Johnson said.

A new roadway will also connect the hospital’s north parking lot to one of Munster major thoroughfares, he said.

“The new road serpentines around the property out to West 45th Street,” he said. That new roadway is visible along West 45th Street across from The Times’ Munster office.

Johnson said plans submitted to the town indicate Franciscan Alliance plans to finish this expansion project by next year, but hospital officials declined to comment.

“As our hospital continues to grow and expand, we will continue to serve our patients with the highest quality care in a healing Franciscan environment,” said Barb Greene, president of Franciscan Healthcare-Munster, in article published by Franciscan Alliance in its spring 2014 magazine.

As part of the Munster Medical Center Campus, Franciscan Medical Specialist is building a new Musculoskeletal Institute adjacent to the hospital. This is not part of the hospital expansion but in keeping with the Franciscan Alliance plans, Dejanovic said.

Franciscan Medical Specialists is headed by Dr. Alexander Stemer, who serves as president.

This facility will feature comprehensive musculoskeletal health specialties including orthopedic surgery, podiatry, rheumatology and physical therapy, according to information provided by Dejanovic.