Marion Health is capitalizing on the recent growth of Gas City with the development of a new innovation and medical campus.
The facility will be a fully functional hospital, equipped with acute-care and ambulatory services. Its building will be four-stories, 100,000 square feet and will sit on approximately 100 acres of land.
Marion Health’s new location will be on the northeast corner of Interstate 69 and State Route 22.
“There’s a stretch of 93 miles on I-69 where there are no convenient options for emergency services,” Stephanie Hilton-Siebert, CEO and president of Marion Health, said. “This campus will meet the need for convenient, accessible care for both travelers and our community in southeastern Grant County.”
The new location will include the following services: orthopedic/spine surgery, a rehabilitation and outpatient clinic, a family practice medicine outpatient clinic, multi-specialty outpatient clinic, emergency service with helipad, radiology, laboratory and inpatient acute care.
Gas City Mayor Bill Rock Jr. said he first spoke with Hilton-Siebert and Jason Miller, city engineer, about this project in November of 2020. In this meeting, the trio discussed and settled upon a total investment of approximately $80 million for the hospital.
Kate Lyons, administrative director of marketing and community outreach for Marion Health, said the campus has flexibility for expansion but will stay committed to orthopedic and wellness care. Already the largest local employer, Marion Health will generate an estimated 100 new jobs for southeastern Grant County at this location.
Rock said he is excited for this development because it incorporates several local contractors, feeding the welfare of Grant County’s workforce.
Project planning, design and management are being conducted by BSA LifeStructures, a national and Indianapolis-based design firm, which has experience in fashioning hospital and orthopedic facilities.
Lyons said this Gas City site also is a response to a need for sports medicine care in Grant County.
“There’s Taylor, there’s Indiana Wesleyan,” Lyons said. “There’s a great need to have an orthopedic and spine service area, specifically in sports medicine.”
Dr. Charles Cossell, former assistant team physician for the Buffalo Bills, joined Marion Health in late September of this year. Cossell is currently serving as an orthopedic surgeon at South Marion Medical Park. Once the Gas City spot opens, he will be relocated there.
Ron Sutherland, special assistant to the president, said the addition of an ER hospital will be a great improvement for Taylor University as well as the surrounding community.
“We are excited to explore ways to leverage these developments for the sake of our students, employees and community,” Sutherland said.
On Nov. 16, the construction began with the first ground break, and current scheduling has the facility operational in late 2022.
In addition to this project, Rock said he has been in contact with a dermatologist in Muncie, an orthodontist and nose and throat doctor, all who have intentions to move their businesses to Gas City. Rock was elected mayor in November 2019 and has already overseen several commercial developments, such as Dairy Queen, which opens in December.
“It’s been a good domino effect so far,” Rock said. “We’re just trying to keep the momentum going our way as it continues to produce new manufacturers, new hospitals, new retail stores. We’re staying on it.”
For more information on this specific ER hospital or general facts about Marion Health, visit www.marionhealth.com or call 765-660-6000.
