Saint Anthony Expands To Open Fransiscan Point Outpatient Center
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Rapid growth enjoyed by communities surrounding Crown Point lead to a challenge: how to make health care both accessible and state-of-the-art. Franciscan Point was the solution.
Opened in August 2008 by Saint Anthony Medical Center, the new facility offers top-notch outpatient health, wellness and sports medicine in a convenient setting, often saving trips to the hospital.
The $38 million project, located on U.S. 231 just off Interstate 65, sits on 81 acres designed to allow room for future expansion as demand requires.
“Our mission was to create a facility that could grow to meet the needs of those communities around us that were expanding so fast, and not just Crown Point,” says David Ruskowski, president of Saint Anthony Medical Center.
While patients with life-threatening health issues, such as heart attacks or strokes, should still be seen in the hospital emergency room, less serious problems can be addressed by Franciscan Point’s EXPRESSCare. Board-certified physicians staff the facility, where they treat everything from colds and flu to sprains and sports injuries. No appointments are needed, and most insurance plans are accepted.
The result has been a significant increase in daily patient visits since the clinic opened, prompting Franciscan Point administrators to consider expanding the days and hours it is open. As of spring 2009, the facility’s EXPRESSCare is open 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Saturday.
In addition to urgent care, patients can receive cutting-edge diagnostic imaging, including CT scans, MRI, X-rays, ultrasound and laboratory services on site. Physical, occupational and speech therapy are available, and patients can also access the Franciscan physician network, which includes specialists in family medicine, internal medicine, sports medicine and orthopedics.
One popular feature of the facility is its outstanding Sports Medicine Institute, which seeks to help physically active people improve their performance, as well as treat and prevent injuries. Saint Anthony’s renowned Athletic Development program is now located at Franciscan Point and headed by famed athletic coach and trainer Frank Eksten, who has worked with Olympians and professional athletes, as well as junior high through college-level players.
“They did their due diligence to determine that there was a need for such a program here,” Ruskowski says. “The director of the program and the physicians involved felt if only we had a facility that would accommodate all the equipment and devices and staff, we could have a second-to-none athletic-development medicine program, incomparable in northwest Indiana and suburban Chicago.”
Their hopes have been realized. School, college, professional and individual clients all have flocked to the program.
“It’s growing beyond our expectations, faster than we thought it would,” says Ruskowski. “We’re absorbing the growth and enjoying the fact that it is taking off so quickly.”
Story by Laura Hill
