BEACON Project on Pace in Vincennes

The centerpiece of the BEACON Project

Good Samaritan Hospital in Vincennes says its $109 million BEACON Project is continuing on schedule. The hospital says renovations of its Columbian Tower East and the LaSalle Behavioral Health space are on track and plans to renovate the emergency department are coming soon.

Good Samaritan says the Columbian Tower renovations are nearing complete, along with the construction of the new home for Vincennes Orthopedics, which will be located within the hospital. Vincennes Orthopedics expects to begin seeing patients on September 26.

"We are very excited to be opening a brand new space for orthopedics within the hospital," said Rob McLin, chief executive officer of Good Samaritan. "This move will be great in many aspects, including being more convenient for patients who need additional services in the hospital, such as MRI or CT scan, as well as being more convenient for our physicians to be here at the hospital for quick access to operating rooms and to visit their patients in the hospital. Orthopedics is also a fast growing service line so more office space was needed."

The hospital says plans to demolish several older buildings remains in schedule for the first quarter of 2017. The demolition will make room for employee and patient parking.

Good Samaritan is also investing $165,000 for renovations of the emergency department. The renovations were not originally part of the BEACON project, but will include the construction of three "fast track" bays, which the hospital says will create a more efficient ER. Renovations will begin in mid-September and are expect to take nine weeks to complete.

Ground was broken on the BEACON project in 2012, beginning construction of the project’s centerpiece, Gibault Memorial Tower. Officials cut the ribbon on the tower in July 2015.