In 1881 the Daughters of Charity arrived in Indianapolis with hearts full for Christian service and pockets decidedly empty. The nuns’ collective “wealth” was $34.77. They had come at the request of Bishop Francis Silas Chatard to operate a Catholic hospital in Indiana. The Bishop gave them $50 more to begin their mission: converting an abandoned seminary into a hospital. Slowly, across the decades, the hospital expanded both its physical footprint and caring touch in the city. One can only imagine the wonder with which these humble servants would view today’s St.Vincent hospital system.
The latest iteration is the newly-named St.Vincent Fishers Hospital, which opened full services April 8, at 13861 Olio Road. “Our name change reflects our expansion from a freestanding outpatient healthcare facility to an expanded inpatient hospital,” explained Gary Fammartino, administrator, St.Vincent Fishers Hospital. “We listened to the community, and our expansion has been guided by what families in Fishers, Noblesville and surrounding areas told us they wanted most.”
The 110,000-square-foot, 50-bed hospital expansion is focused on wellness, women’s health and family health and includes: 30 medical/surgical beds, 10 labor-delivery-recovery-post-partum beds, and 10 observation beds. The expansion complements an existing emergency department, surgery department, all-digital imaging center, primary care offices, pediatric specialists, physical therapy and an adult and pediatric sleep lab.
Hospital leadership had anticipated such an expansion when St.Vincent initially located in Fishers. “We began serving this community in 2008 with the first freestanding emergency department and comprehensive outpatient services,” said Fammartino. “Our goal back then was to eventually expand upon these services to include inpatient care when our community determined it was time.”
According to information provided by the hospital, the facility offers many spa-like amenities “because that’s what today’s patients expect.” St.Vincent Fishers has applied for LEED certification (an environmental design designation) with the aim of providing patients, visitors and others with a healthier environment.
Kim Nealon, chief nursing officer, noted the special attention given to St.Vincent Fishers’ labor-delivery and recovery rooms. “Included in a single room are a pull-down Murphy bed, a walk-in shower, and spa tubs that are available for labor and postpartum recovery. Our Center for Women and Infants, and medical-surgical suites are supported by in-house physicians 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” Nealon said.
The new facility provides 24-hour room service for patients, a cafeteria with indoor-outdoor dining, and a chapel and spiritual family waiting area that are “integral to our hospital’s faith-based values system,” explained Nealon.
Fammartino emphasized that St.Vincent Fishers continues to devote a substantial portion of its budgets for charity care and community benefit locally, regionally and internationally in keeping with the tradition of St. Vincent de Paul. “Our hospital’s mission is to treat all persons with special attention to the poor and vulnerable,” said Fammartino. “Our core values of service to the poor, reverence, integrity, wisdom, creativity and dedication are the foundation of who we are and what our communities have come to know as the Spirit of Caring.”
More information about St.Vincent Fishers is available online at northeast.stvincent.org.
