St. Elizabeth Central
Coordinates: 40°25′39″N 86°52′46″W / 40.427472°N 86.879449°W
Franciscan St. Elizabeth Health - Lafayette Central, commonly known as St. Elizabeth Central, is a 155-bed hospital in Lafayette, Indiana, USA, owned by the not-for-profit Franciscan St. Elizabeth Health, a division of Franciscan Alliance, Inc. Previously known as the St. Elizabeth Medical Center, the hospital was renamed in 2009 during the construction of St. Elizabeth East. It is home to the St. Elizabeth School of Nursing, the only hospital-based nursing school in the state of Indiana.
History
St. Elizabeth Central opened when six members of the Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration left their home in Germany in 1875 in order to care for the sick in Lafayette, Indiana. The hospital opened in 1876 and launched the St. Elizabeth School of Nursing in 1897.
In 1998, operation of Home Hospital and St. Elizabeth Central merged under an equal partnership known as Greater Lafayette Health Services (GLHS). Each hospital retained its long-established identity and traditions.
In 2003, the Sisters of St. Francis Health Services, Inc., founders and continuous owners of St. Elizabeth Central, became the sole owners of the non-profit corporation, its two hospitals and related patient care facilities.
GLHS was the corporate name used since 2003, but in 2007 GLHS was officially changed to St. Elizabeth Regional Health, and later to its current name, Franciscan St. Elizabeth Health.
Greater Lafayette Health Services announced in late 2005 a plan to close Home Hospital, and construct a new facility to replace them on the city's southeast side, with St. Elizabeth Central remaining open for critical patient care. Work on the new facility commenced in late 2006, with occupation planned to occur in December 2009.
In June 2009, the hospital was renamed St. Elizabeth Central as part of the expanded reuse plan for the facility. The St. Elizabeth Central name allows the community – including hospital employees, volunteers, physicians and physician office staff members – an opportunity to better identify each hospital campus location.
As part of St. Elizabeth Regional Health's ongoing maintenance and continuous improvement of its medical facilities, St. Elizabeth Central has made $11 million worth of enhancements from 2004 to 2009. In total, almost $5 million has been spent on maintenance and repair to existing buildings on the St. Elizabeth Central campus, and more than $6 million for renovations and upgrades to St. Elizabeth Central including:
- Pharmacy,
- Physical therapy and outpatient therapy facilities,
- Seton Specialty Hospital renovations,
- Hospice relocation within the Bill Long Building,
- Chapel renovations, and
- Relocations, upgrades, demolitions, replacement of carpet and furnishings and remodels.
Chapel
The Roman Catholic chapel at St. Elizabeth's has Eucharistic Adoration, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Masses are held Monday through Friday at 7:00 AM, and at 9:00 AM on Saturdays, Sundays and Holy Days.