By Lindsay Doty
Team members with Indiana University Health West Hospital in Avon celebrated a major milestone in the hospital’s $84 million vertical expansion project on Tuesday. Hospital leaders held a “topping out” ceremony to mark the placement of the final steel beam in the structural frame.
Hundreds of team members signed the beam before it was elevated and dropped into place by a large crane. The construction is part of a vertical expansion project that began two years ago at the facility that will add more beds and lab space.
“Our ability to provide care to all of the patients who need us has been challenged by our capacity,” Doug Puckett said.
Puckett is president of the IU Health Indianapolis Suburban Region, which includes IU Health West, North, Saxony and Tipton hospitals.
“We serve a growing community, and have been proud to serve the people of Hendricks County and beyond since we opened in late 2004,” he continued. “This expansion sets the stage for IU Health and IU Health West to continue to be the first choice for patients in our market for years to come.”
The vertical expansion will increase the hospital’s inpatient capacity by more than 50 percent, adding 48 inpatient beds. It will add one floor to the hospital’s “B” inpatient tower, in addition to adding two floors on the north side of the building (the “A” tower) to expand functional spaces including operating rooms, cath lab, lab, inpatient pharmacy, kitchen/cafe and classroom areas. The expansion also calls for additional parking.
The updated areas will open in phases beginning mid-2020. The project is taking place in sections, allowing the hospital to remain open during construction.
