IU Health employees practice at Fishers hospital before it’s built

FISHERS, Ind. (WISH) — IU Health employees in Fishers had the chance to practice working in their new hospital before it has even been built.

Staff ran drills under a tent in the IU Health Saxony parking lot, where the inside of the tent was mocked up to look like a hospital, complete with walls and rooms.

Each room had hospital equipment and printed photos precisely placed on the walls and around the room. The photos were of things such as paper towel dispensers, clocks, and a television. The purpose was for staff to run through drills and help design the layout of the future hospital.

“We did an emergency C-section drill where we walked the distance from the furthest room of the unit, to where the OR would be, figuring out how long it would take. Is this the fastest route we can get there, so we can make sure that things are done in the safest, quickest way for the patient,” said labor and delivery nurse Sarah Wenzel.

IU Health Saxony, which will soon become IU Health Fishers, is getting a major makeover and expansion. The hospital’s Chief Operating Officer Chad Dilley said the $287 million expansion will add hospital beds, several new services, and grow some already existing units.

“Fishers is a thriving community. The growth in Fishers is well-documented, and we’re growing ultimately to meet the needs of the community,” Dilley said.

He said it is important that the people who will actually work in the building itself have a say in its final design.

“Making sure we work through the equipment, the supplies, how the staff is gonna flow, how the patients are gonna flow, and how the family members are gonna flow through the facility. So, it’s really a great opportunity for our team members to put their fingerprints on the facility,” said Dilley.

Construction is set to start later this year and will wrap up in 2025. The expansion will double the hospital’s workforce.

Learn more about the project online.