Methodist Hospitals held a groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday to celebrate the beginning of work on their Northlake Campus in Gary. The celebration honored the implementation of three areas on the campus: renovation of their Emergency Department and services, expansion of a dedicated Intensive Care Unit and a Medical ICU on the second floor of the hospital.
The emergency services enhancements underway at Methodist’s Northlake Campus responds to the in-process designation of the hospital as a Level III Trauma Center which will make the location the first of its kind in Northwest Indiana.
“These projects that we’re kicking off today are really important in the sense that they demonstrate our board's commitment to fulfilling the Master Facilities Plan that the Methodist Hospital has developed,” said Scott Ribordy, Vice Chair of the Methodist Hospitals Board of Directors.
“We developed this Master Facility Plan so that we could ensure that our hospitals could continue to provide the very best in terms of programs, technology and facilities to the people of Gary and the surrounding communities for years to come,” Ribordy said. “I think I speak for everyone associated with the hospital when I say that we are completely committed to fulfilling that vision of Methodist Hospital to be the premier specialty healthcare system in the region. These projects are part of that and we are proud to be able to make this significant investment.”
Methodist Hospitals’ President and CEO, Ray Grady, spoke about the commitment the hospital has made to providing the highest quality care and facilities for the community and the region.
“This is a very good day for Methodist Hospital,” Grady said. “Methodist Hospitals has made a commitment to provide the very best when it comes to programs, technologies and facilities for the people we are privileged to serve here in Northwest Indiana. Nowhere is that commitment more important than trauma and critical care. Situated as we are in an area that’s in close proximity to heavy industry, major transportation arteries, to mass transit lines and major urban areas there is a critical and ongoing need for expert, easily accessible emergency services in Northwest Indiana.”
“Methodist Hospital has always been branded as a premier provider of emergency services in this region and we’ve worked hard over the last few years to earn and keep that reputation,” said Grady. “The next step in enhancing our capability to continue to meet the rising demand is the execution of this project. We employ a staff of skilled physicians, nurses and technicians who provide the very best care to patients in this community each and every day. It’s critical that we provide them with the work environment that lives up to the same high standards that they set for themselves. Methodist Hospital has made the commitment to be the best place to work for physicians, the best place to receive care and the best place to employees to work, and this newly renovated Emergency Department and Assisted Care Unit represents one of the ways in which we seek to deliver on that promise we made in our Mission Statement.”
Gary Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson was at the groundbreaking ceremony and gave her perspective on the role and contribution that Methodist Hospital has within the community.
“The groundbreaking today and the celebration of the new emergency room and ICU are really indicative of what community partnerships really look like,” said Freeman-Wilson. “I’m excited about Methodist Hospital as a true community partner. That doesn’t happen by accident and that does not happen in a vacuum. It happens because of the leadership of our CEO Ray Grady, of his executive team, of the Board President Mamon Powers and of the members of the Board of Directors who understand this entity is much more than a healthcare institution. Today, as we celebrate the facilities, it’s not just about the building but it’s about the people in it, the people who provide the care and the citizens who receive the care.”
After the conclusion of remarks at the ceremony, those involved in the groundbreaking as well as everyone who came out to celebrate the beginning of construction were encouraged to sign a piece of a steel beam that will be incorporated into the construction of the renovations and expansions.