Live online discussion set for Monday

UPDATED 12/17/07: View the chat transcript online.

On Monday, Dec. 17, from 2 to 3 p.m., Larry Heydon, St. Francis Hospital-Mooresville executive director, will be on-deck to take readers' questions on the Martinsville Reporter-Times Web site (http://www.reporter-times.com/).

Please send questions for Larry now to bculp@reportert.com, or you can weigh in with your questions at the time of the live chat.

St. Francis Hospital-Mooresville Video Update

Get a sneak peak at changes coming to Morgan County.

Star reporter tours expansion site

Mooresville Hospital Executive Directory Larry Heydon describes expansion plans to Indianapolis Star reporter Bruce Smith. They are standing in one of six large state-of-the-art operating suites that are part of the new construction. The new operating rooms will include video- and audio-conferencing capabilities so that select surgeries can be viewed by other physicians and medical students.

Mooresville Reporter Times: ER comes to northern Morgan County

Morgan County Reporter-Times Mooresville editor Amy Hillenburg wrote in Sunday's paper about the coming expansion of the St. Francis Hospital-Mooresville campus. Much of the expanded hospital will open in April 2008, with the emergency room services opening later in the year.

The new emergency room will feature more than a dozen exam rooms and will be staffed by the physicians of Emergency Physicians of Indianapolis.

Other features of the expanded hospital discussed in Hillenburg's article include:

• an eight-room Intensive Care Unit (ICU).


• a 27-bed surgical unit.


• a 30-bed orthopaedic unit.


• six new operating room suites (pictured at right). (Above right is the preop area. The day of surgery the patient is first taken to this area and prepared for surgery.)


• rooftop gardens.


• a renovated cafeteria.


• a new gift shop and coffee stand.

New Entrance at Mooresville

It's hard to miss the new main entrance for St. Francis - Mooresville, extending far into the existing parking areas on the hospital campus.



Construction crews are quickly making progress on both the brick exterior and the interior areas of the expansion, set to open in the spring.

The main “boulevard,” which stretches from the main entrance into the heart of the hospital,

is filled with sunlight from the skylights.

This new corridor provides easy access to a variety of services. The main hall is flanked on the north with a gift shop and coffee

café, surgery waiting area and lab, while the southside provides easy access to admitting, radiology and the new offices for the Indiana Heart Physicians.

New advertising campaign starts for Mooresville

“Hey! Isn’t that…?” may be the phrase that comes to mind when looking through the local papers and noticing billboards this fall. St. Francis has launched a special print advertising campaign featuring the Mooresville expansion. Ads for this campaign, called “Building a Better Community,” feature local physicians and hospital staff.

The campaign was created to communicate to Mooresville residents what the campus expansion means to them in terms of advancements in patient care. It also tracks the expansion’s progress, as well as acknowledging and giving pride of ownership to our hospital’s most precious resource—its people.

The campaign started in August and will continue in 2008 until the new facility opens. Ads can be seen in the Indianapolis Star, Hendricks Co Flyer, Martinsville Reporter Times and Mooresville Times.

St. Francis-Mooresville Expansion Project Continues

Fifteen months into the new $42 million expansion project at St. Francis Hospital – Mooresville, the project is a hive of activity, and on schedule to be completed in the spring 2008, with the Emergency Department opening later in the year.

Construction crews are working on various stages through out the new building including:

• laying exterior brick and limestone
• painting
• installing window glass, drywall and light fixtures
• laying the roof shingles
• completing HVAC piping.

The new operating suites and patient rooms are taking shape, and new rooftop gardens areas are being prepared to accept containers for soil.

The main “boulevard,” which stretches from the main entrance into the heart of the hospital, is filled with sunlight from the skylights. This new corridor provides easy access to a variety of services. The main hall is flanked on the north with a gift shop and coffee café, surgery waiting area and lab, while the southside provides easy access to admitting, radiology and the new offices for the Indiana Heart Physicians.

“There is a wonderful sense of optimism and energy here. We are proud to be an active partner in the community and to continue to provide high quality patient care,” said Larry Heydon, executive director of St. Francis Hospital – Mooresville. “This project is a healthcare investment into the local area and will allow residents to receive additional high-quality services close to home.”

Hospital exterior in progress

Construction crews pour cement near the new main entrance to the Mooresville hospital.

Intensive Care Unit (ICU) making progress

Drywall is installed and some furniture is in place in the new 8-bed intensive care unit (ICU) at St. Francis Hospital-Mooresville.

Radio station features update on Mooresville

WCBK-102.3 FM radio Martinsville will visit St. Francis-Mooresville today from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Tune in during that hour and listen to live interviews with Larry Heydon, executive director; Anita Trackwell, clinical services director; and others about the ongoing expansion project and other services at that campus.

An Early Look at the Expanded Mooresville Campus

Construction is moving ahead on the expanded St. Francis Hospital-Mooresville. The $42 million expansion project is scheduled to be completed spring of 2008. Here's a quick look inside:

Main Entrance and Atrium- When construction is complete, patients and staff will enjoy a three-story lobby with a gift shop, coffee shop, and family waiting area.

Emergency Department-The current PromptMed is being expanded and an emergency department is being added. St. Francis Hospital Mooresville is dedicated to providing great care that is close to home for the community.

Exterior - Since May of 2006, construction has been in progress at St. Francis Hospital Mooresville. It will increase the campus from 258,000 square feet to more than 400,000 square feet.

Patient Rooms -A new 8-bed intensive care unit is being added to St. Francis Hospital Mooresville. The ICU is set to open in spring of 2008, complete with the latest technology.

Patient Rooms - Construction workers build new in-patient nursing unit. The 27-bed addition will feature all private rooms. An additional 30 private rooms are being added exclusively for orthopedic patients. Patient rooms will have wireless technology, bedside charting and other technology for improved caregiver communication and efficiency.

St. Francis Hospital – Mooresville’s expansion project on schedule for Spring 2008 opening.

The landscape of St. Francis Hospital – Mooresville’s campus has changed since construction began last May on the hospital’s $42 million expansion project. This expansion is part of the ongoing seven-year investment into high quality healthcare services for southwestern communities in Marion, Morgan and Hendricks counties and will increase the size of the hospital from 258,000 square feet to more than 400,000 square feet.

Construction crews are working on various stages throughout the new building including installation of HVAC piping, rough-in for electrical and plumbing and medical gas, laying exterior brick, installation of exterior windows and enclosing the building, all which are scheduled to be completed by the end of May.

The hospital expansion project includes the following initiatives that will enhance current services provided and allow for the transition to a full service community hospital:

• New 30-bed orthopaedic nursing unit, featuring all private patient rooms, and a new 27-bed adult inpatient nursing unit, with private rooms.
• New surgery department, complete with six state-of-the-art operating suites and a central sterilization department.
• New 8-bed Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
• Expanded and renovated laboratory services.
• Expanded PromptMed urgent care services and development of Emergency Services.
• A three-story lobby and atrium that includes a comfortable waiting area; rooftop gardens; coffee shop and gift shop.
• New medical office building housing the Center for Hip & Knee Surgery, expanded physical therapy department, patient education department and other outpatient ancillary services.

“We are proud to be an active partner in the community and to continue to provide high quality patient care,” said Larry Heydon, Executive Director of St. Francis Hospital – Mooresville. “This project is an investment into the local area and will allow residents to receive additional high-quality services close to home.”