Community Hospital East is a

hospital A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically has an emerge ...

located in

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

, and is part of the Community Health Network group of hospitals in Indiana.

History

Community Hospital was founded on August 6, 1956, at the corner of 16th Street and Ritter Avenue on the east side of Indianapolis. The hospital was the result of a fundraising effort started by volunteers who envisioned a hospital closer to the East side of Indianapolis. Volunteers began a door-to-door fundraising campaign. Soon donations came in from businesses and civic organizations. The name "Community Hospital" was chosen by leaders because of the involvement of the neighbors and community of the east side in helping build the hospital. Ground was broken in 1954 on a site donated by farmer Edward F. Gallahue. The ground-breaking ceremony was attended by then-Vice President

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

. When opened, the $5 million hospital had the still novel installation of air conditioning technology,piped in

oxygen Oxygen is the chemical element with the symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group in the periodic table, a highly reactive nonmetal, and an oxidizing agent that readily forms oxides with most elements as wel ...

, 300 beds, and 111 employees. W.C. McLin was the hospital's first administrator. In 1964, "The Towers," an extension to the hospital, opened. The building's design - with two circular towers allowing central nursing stations to observe patients at all times was one of the first of its kind in the nation. Throughout the next few years, Community Hospital underwent many expansions and upgrades, including the opening of

psychiatric Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of mental disorders. These include various maladaptations related to mood, behaviour, cognition, and perceptions. See glossary of psychiatry. Initial psychi ...

inpatient units, a

coronary Coronary () may, as shorthand in English, be used to mean: * Coronary circulation, the system of arteries and veins in mammals ** Coronary artery disease ** Coronary occlusion ** A myocardial infarction, a heart attack As adjective * Referring t ...

care unit, and specialized services including

ambulatory care Ambulatory care or outpatient care is medical care provided on an outpatient basis, including diagnosis, observation, consultation, treatment, intervention, and rehabilitation services. This care can include advanced medical technology and procedu ...

and a

cardiac catheterization Cardiac catheterization (heart cath) is the insertion of a catheter into a chamber or vessel of the heart. This is done both for diagnostic and interventional purposes. A common example of cardiac catheterization is coronary catheterization that ...

lab. In 1972, Allen Hicks was chosen to lead the hospital following the death of W.C. McLin in 1971. In 1974, Building 3 opened at Community Hospital, dedicated to W.C. McLin, adding 250 more beds. More additions included the Hook Rehabilitation Center, Gallahue Mental Health Center,

pain Pain is a distressing feeling often caused by intense or damaging stimuli. The International Association for the Study of Pain defines pain as "an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with, or resembling that associated with, ...

and

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

centers, plus

surgery Surgery ''cheirourgikē'' (composed of χείρ, "hand", and ἔργον, "work"), via la, chirurgiae, meaning "hand work". is a medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a person to investigate or treat a pat ...

suites and education facilities. In 1981, a

laboratory A laboratory (; ; colloquially lab) is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific or technological research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. Laboratory services are provided in a variety of settings: physicia ...

opened, along with a medical office building. Community hospital was, at that time, the second-largest hospital in the city of Indianapolis with approximately 800 beds, and it was considered one of the leading health-care facilities in the state. William E. Corley became the

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

of Community Hospital in 1985 after Allen Hicks left in 1983. A new satellite hospital for Community was planned in 1982 on the north side of Indianapolis. What is now

Community Hospital North Community Hospital North is a hospital in the Castleton neighborhood of Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. It is part of the Community Health Network group of hospitals. History What is now Community Hospital North originally opened in 1985 as a satel ...

opened in 1985 and has since outgrown its satellite status. Community Hospital was subsequently renamed Community Hospital East. The Same-Day Surgery Center opened at Community East in 1988 and a new main lobby, entrance, and professional building opened in 1991. Community East marked the birth of its 100,000th baby in 1993. In 1996, Community East adopted the Family Rooms concept in the

maternity ] A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the case of gestati ...

unit. The unit features LDRP - labor, delivery, recovery, postpartum - rooms, allowing mothers and babies to remain in the same room throughout their stay. The Indiana Surgery Center opened on the Community East campus in 1999 and is part of the Community Health Network. It is an

outpatient A patient is any recipient of health care services that are performed by healthcare professionals. The patient is most often ill or injured and in need of treatment by a physician, nurse, optometrist, dentist, veterinarian, or other health care ...

surgery center formed through the partnerships of a group of

surgeons In modern medicine, a surgeon is a medical professional who performs surgery. Although there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon usually is also a licensed physician or received the same medical training as ...

. In 2004, Community East opened the Center for Interventional Radiology, one of the first centers of its kind in the country and the only one in the Midwest. The hospital opened The Community Regional Cancer Care Radiation Oncology Treatment Center, a $7-million addition, in March 2007. In November 2007, Community East opened a medical oncology center. The Center for Joint Health, a specialized unit for joint replacement surgery patients, opened in July 2008. Community East celebrated its 50th anniversary in August 2006. On August 19, 2015, Community Hospital East broke ground to replace its 60-year-old facility with a $175 million, 150-bed hospital in 2019. The campus also includes a $120 million, 159-bed state-funded psychiatric and chronic addiction treatment facility. The Indiana NeuroDiagnostic Institute and Advanced Treatment Center will replace the antiquated

Larue D. Carter Memorial Hospital Indianapolis Veterans Administration Hospital, also known as Larue D. Carter Memorial Hospital is a historic hospital complex and national historic district located at Indianapolis, Indiana. The district resources were developed between 1930 and ...

in 2019.

Current status

Community East is currently led by Robin Ledyard, M.D., who assumed her new role as president on August 31, 2009. She replaced Anita Harden, who retired in November 2008, and Steve Hultgren who had served as interim president after Harden's retirement. Bryan Mills is the president and CEO of the parent Community Health Network.

References

External links

Community Health Network website

Community Hospital East website

Community Physician Recruitment
{{authority control Hospital buildings completed in 1956 Teaching hospitals in Indiana Healthcare in Indianapolis Hospitals established in 1956

History

Current status

See also

References

External links