Rising up: IU Health West Hospital welcomes patients to new ICU and inpatient dialysis unit, part of $84M vertical expansion in Avon
By Lindsay Doty
IU Health West Hospital in Avon welcomed the first patients to its new Intensive Care Unit and inpatient dialysis unit Sept. 16. The recently unveiled additions are part of the growing westside hospital’s $84 million vertical expansion.
It includes 48 additional inpatient beds for a total of 175 beds, one new catheterization lab and two new operating rooms, along with classrooms, an inpatient pharmacy and additional parking.
Doctors and team members got to tour the new areas on Monday at a ribbon cutting ceremony.
The hospital expansion that added floors to the building’s existing two towers began in 2017. The new spaces have been opening in phases to minimize disruption of patient care.
“Though we still have some new spaces to open in the coming weeks, to be nearing the end of this construction project, especially during the year we’ve had, is a huge achievement for our teams and for the community at large,” said Paul Ivkovich, president of IU Health West Hospital.
He calls new spaces like the inpatient dialysis unit, a first for the hospital, a game-changer.
“Until now, any inpatient who also needed dialysis support during their stay had to be transferred downtown — most of whom are patients with diagnoses we absolutely could have managed otherwise at IU Health West,” Ivkovich said. “This addition allows those patients and families to stay closer to home for their care.”
The new cath lab will also help patient care, allowing the team to treat heart attack patients around the clock. The hospital’s inpatient capacity has increased by more than 50% with the new additions.
“Not only are we able to serve more patients who need us, but we’re caring for them in areas that were designed based on feedback from the teams who are currently caring for patients in those units,” said Ivkovich.
IU Health West opened along the Ronald Reagan Parkway in 2004. Since then, the Hendricks County community has grown, putting new demands on the hospital.
“Data we used to green-light the expansion showed we were having to transfer 1,700 patients a year who had come to IU Health West for their care to other facilities because we could not get that patient a bed in a timely fashion. The demand for IU Health-level quality care was there. We had to grow to meet that demand.”
