Parkview Health: Ready for competition in West Lafayette’s ‘hospital desert’

Officials with the Fort Wayne-based system say they aren’t deterred by sudden rush of hospital plans in a city that had none: ‘Our business model has factored that friendly competition.’

• Support for this edition comes from Food Finders Food Bank. Food Finders’ Drive Away Hunger Fall Food Drive runs through Dec. 5. Nov. 26 is Lafayette Media Group’s Feed the Need Day. Food Finders invites the community to unite in stocking its shelves and ensure those facing hunger can provide for their families this winter. After surpassing our 750,000-meal goal last year, Food Finders is looking to raise enough to cover 800,000 meals. Find out how you can help by clicking here.

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• Support also comes from Purdue Musical Organizations, presenting the 92nd annual Purdue Christmas Show. The Christmas Show will shine Boilermaker bright with an all-student cast, festive music and dazzling performances. Tickets are now on sale for the Dec. 6-7 shows, where audiences of all ages will come together to celebrate the spirit of the holiday season at this timeless Purdue tradition. Get your tickets here.

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FORT WAYNE-BASED PARKVIEW HEALTH: READY FOR COMPETITION IN WEST LAFAYETTE’S ‘HOSPITAL DESERT’

Parkview Health officials, looking to build and open a hospital in West Lafayette by 2028, said they aren’t deterred by the prospects of three other systems targeting hospitals or emergency care projects around the city – including one in the works a mile away.

“I can tell you that our business model has factored that friendly competition,” Tom Trent, asset strategy officer for the Fort Wayne-based Parkview Health system, told a crowd of city officials and residents Thursday at the John Dennis Wellness Center.

(Image via Parkview Health)

“We made a commitment to Mayor (Erin) Easter that we were going to build a hospital,” Trent said. “It’s our understanding, anecdotally, that several hospitals have suggested they were going to do something in the community, and never did. We promised the mayor and her administration that we were going to build, and we are going to build, irrespective of competition, wherever it may be.”

Parkview Health’s plans have been in the works for two years, Trent said during the system’s first public meeting in West Lafayette since an announcement over the summer.