WYRZ.org 98.9 WYRZ – The Voice of Hendricks County
INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch joined Family and Social Services Secretary Jennifer Walthall, M.D., M.P.H., today to dedicate and officially open the state-of-the-art NeuroDiagnostic Institute and Advanced Treatment Center, Indiana’s newest state psychiatric hospital, located on the east side of Indianapolis adjacent to Community Hospital East.
The “NDI,” Indiana’s first new state psychiatric hospital in 53 years, will advance evaluation and treatment for patients with the most challenging and complex neuropsychiatric illnesses and move them more efficiently into the most appropriate treatment settings within the community or state mental health system.
“This beautiful, new facility represents our state’s renewed and focused commitment to mental health,” said Dr. Walthall. “This state-of-the-art hospital will take advantage of the most recent advances in brain research and clinical care to optimize the quality of care and diagnoses for all Hoosiers with severe psychiatric illnesses.”
The staff of the 159-bed facility will serve a diverse patient population, focusing on brain-based disorders, including:
- Acute and chronic mental illness
- Chronic addictions
- Intellectual and developmental disabilities
- Traumatic brain injury
- Neuro-degenerative illnesses such as Alzheimer’s disease
Patients will be referred to the hospital from community mental health centers, other state psychiatric hospitals and judicial partners. The hospital will begin receiving patients in the next few weeks.
“Co-locating with our acute care partners at Community Health Network will also help us to take a more holistic approach, as we know that people with serious mental illness often have other significant health issues that can worsen their brain-based illness and make treatment more complex,” Dr. Walthall added.
“Ensuring that all Hoosiers who are suffering from mental illnesses, addiction or an intellectual/developmental disability receive top-quality care is one of the priorities of the administration,” said Lt. Governor Crouch. “Helping these individuals either recover, or learn to live independently will benefit the state as a whole, and I am inspired by the work NDI and FSSA have put forth to make this a reality.”
The NDI project was announced in December 2015 by then-Indiana Governor Mike Pence.
The NDI becomes Indiana’s newest in a network of six state psychiatric hospitals. It will replace a long-time institution, Larue Carter Memorial Hospital which has served patients since 1952 and is being phased out of operation.
The design and construction team for the NDI included more than 100 companies, led by BSA Lifestructures as project architects and Pepper Construction as construction managers.
