Franciscan Alliance, also known as Franciscan Health, will open its new $200 million Franciscan Health Crown Point hospital in Northwest Indiana at the end of this month, almost three and a half years after beginning construction on the 199-inpatient bed hospital.

The Catholic-based healthcare system broke ground on the facility in September 2020, as a replacement for its original full-service, acute-care hospital, which has been operational in Crown Point since 1974. The project is also part of a 500-acre expansion of Franciscan Health Franciscan Point and doubles the size of the existing University of St. Francis campus.

It is designed with enough room to grow into a 300-bed facility in the future and has an attached medical office building and expandable diagnostic and treatment centers. It also is designed with "cutting edge" diagnostic, surgical, and treatment options.

“The hospital was designed for maximum efficiency and ease of access for patients and staff alike using eco-friendly materials, equipment and methodologies while minimizing landfill waste wherever possible. The interior design takes inspiration from the heritage of the Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration and Indiana’s seasonal changes to provide a peaceful, timeless interior and exterior,” said Franciscan Health in a statement.

Standing seven stories tall, the new hospital will be located at the southeast corner of I-65 and U.S. 231. Unique offsite construction was employed by the construction company Tonn and Blank's offsite facility to build exam rooms, bathrooms, and electrical distribution rooms, which were then delivered and installed at the work site.

During construction, approximately 250 acres were set aside for residential development and an additional 80 for commercial use. A 60-acre parcel of land was reserved as a potential location for a new Catholic high school under the Gary Diocese Schools.

Additionally, in 2026, the hospital will open the Dean and Barbara White Cancer Center, made possible with a $30 million donation from the Dean and Barbara White Family Foundation, to care for patients and perform clinical trials with state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment and treatment services.

The facility was originally scheduled to open in the fall of 2023 but was pushed back to the beginning of 2024. A public open house is scheduled for January 13 and includes tours of the hospital as well as planned health screenings for body mass index, bone density, blood glucose, blood pressure, pulse oximetry, and spirometry.

Franciscan Health told HCB News that it will continue using the original hospital building for outpatient procedures but it could not comment further on the new facility.

Franciscan Health operates 12 hospital campuses in Indiana and Illinois and employs about 20,000 individuals. It has over 850 primary and specialty care providers under it at 260 locations, according to its LinkedIn page.

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