FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) — There will soon be a new hospital in downtown Fort Wayne.
The new 60-bed, 194,000 square foot Lutheran Downtown Hospital will open for patient care Nov. 13, Lutheran Health Network said Tuesday. The community can tour the new medical center Nov. 6, from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m.
The opening is months ahead of schedule, Lutheran Health said. Early plans suggested the $118 million hospital would be ready for patients in early 2022.
“I am pleased that Lutheran Downtown Hospital will be completed months ahead of schedule,” said Twilla Lee, CEO of Lutheran Downtown Hospital. “Our community is going to benefit from a hospital that is designed with the total patient experience in mind. We are thankful to the many individuals who contributed to this undertaking.”
To move into the new hospital, Lutheran Health established a “broad multidisciplinary team” to coordinate the effort. Lee said Lutheran Downtown Hospital and the current St. Joseph Hospital will operate simultaneously beginning at 6 a.m. on Nov. 13 and continue that way until the last patient is transferred to the new hospital or discharged.
That’s expected to be accomplished by midday or later Nov. 13.
It was December 2018 when Lutheran Health announced plans to build a replacement hospital for St. Joseph Hospital in downtown Fort Wayne, at the corner of Van Buren and Main streets.
Lutheran Health has said St. Joseph Hospital will eventually be torn down to make way for parking. Details on the demolition have not been announced.
