Ascension St. Vincent neighborhood hospital coming to Purdue University campus

Ascension St. Vincent and Purdue University are pleased to announce plans to build a neighborhood hospital in the Discovery Park District at Purdue, adjacent to Purdue University’s campus. Ascension St. Vincent has purchased seven acres of land from the university located at the northeast corner of Airport Road and Highway 231. The facility will bring inpatient and emergency care within the city of West Lafayette for the first time. Key features of the project include:

• Eight private inpatient medical beds
• Eight Emergency Department treatment rooms
• CT and other imaging services
• Laboratory services
• Modern architecture
• Convenient parking
• State-of-the-art consumer-focused technology, including telemedicine

This neighborhood hospital is the first development of what will become a larger medical complex at the Purdue University campus that will focus mainly on outpatient care.

“Our expansion in West Lafayette comes at a time when access to convenient health care options is more important than ever,” said Jonathan Nalli, chief executive officer of Ascension St. Vincent Indiana. “We are responding to the community’s need for new ways to access high-quality care in a way that fits into everyday life.”

Neighborhood hospitals bridge a persistent gap, offering quick service and serving as a middle ground between larger hospitals and urgent care centers. Inpatient hospital stays have become less common, and neighborhood hospitals provide convenient alternatives that are close to home and smaller, with easily accessible surface parking, shorter wait times and lower costs.

“This facility will bring more options and additional competition to the health care market in the region, bolstering efforts by the university to continue to provide high-quality health care while managing cost,” said Chris Ruhl, Purdue chief financial officer and treasurer.

Ascension St. Vincent will assume possession of the site in late spring of 2022. Construction is scheduled to begin in summer of 2022.

Purdue University President Mitch Daniels said the addition of a new medical facility is an important piece of the growing Discovery Park District.

“When we first envisioned this new live, work, play district, access to health facilities was among the priorities,” Daniels said. “Ascension St. Vincent has stepped up to provide this much-needed new option for residents of our entire region.”

West Lafayette Mayor John Dennis said, “The city of West Lafayette has been working toward bringing expanded medical services to the area for several years. Our growing permanent resident and student population has demonstrated the need for a comprehensive health facility in a convenient and accessible location. We’re excited to welcome Ascension micro-hospital to the DIscovery Park District at Purdue University and the city of West Lafayette.”

Lafayette mayor Tony Roswarski said, “Greater Lafayette is very fortunate to currently have excellent health care providers in our community. Health care is constantly changing, and medical facilities are always looking for ways to put health care closer to the patient. The addition of the Ascension St. Vincent micro-hospital in West Lafayette will enhance our quality of life initiative by providing additional, efficient and convenient medical options for Greater Lafayette.”

Kristin Glazner, general counsel and chief of human resources at Wabash, the innovative leader of engineered solutions in the transportation, logistics and distribution industries, said, “As one of the largest employers in Greater Lafayette, we have a substantial interest in how our people are cared for outside of Wabash. Access to health care is key for communities to thrive and grow. We’re pleased Ascension St. Vincent’s new facility will bring more choice and health care services to our employees and the community at large.”

This project follows the announced expansion of the Ascension St. Vincent 86th Street Campus in Indianapolis, which consists of a dedicated brain and spine hospital, the relocation of Ascension St. Vincent Women’s Hospital with the addition of 109 new, private neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) rooms, and a new parking garage.

About Ascension St. Vincent

Ascension (www.ascension.org) is a faith-based health care organization dedicated to transformation through innovation across the continuum of care. As one of the leading nonprofit and Catholic health systems in the U.S., Ascension is committed to delivering compassionate, personalized care to all, with special attention to persons living in poverty and those most vulnerable. In FY2021, Ascension provided $2.3 billion in care of persons living in poverty and other community benefit programs. Ascension includes approximately 150,000 associates and 40,000 aligned providers. The national health system operates more than 2,600 sites of care – including 142 hospitals and more than 40 senior living facilities – in 19 states and the District of Columbia, while providing a variety of services including clinical and network services, venture capital investing, investment management, biomedical engineering, facilities management, risk management, and contracting through Ascension’s own group purchasing organization.

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a top public research institution developing practical solutions to today’s toughest challenges. Ranked in each of the last four years as one of the 10 Most Innovative Universities in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, Purdue delivers world-changing research and out-of-this-world discovery. Committed to hands-on and online, real-world learning, Purdue offers a transformative education to all. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue has frozen tuition and most fees at 2012-13 levels, enabling more students than ever to graduate debt-free. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap at https://purdue.edu/.