Preemie care grows in northwest Indiana

Franciscan Health Crown Point is partnering with one of the top children’s hospitals in Illinois to boost its care for premature babies or newborns with high-risk complications. Neonatologists from the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago now staff the 20-bed Level III neonatal intensive care unit in Crown Point.

“It’s about leveraging the resources of an academic center at a community site with the most up to date, cutting edge care available,” said Brett Galley, MD, a Lurie Children’s Hospital neonatologist practicing at Franciscan Health Crown Point. “Knowing there’s a high level, capable NICU in your own back yard makes a big difference for families.”

Mishawaka-based Franciscan Alliance, which owns and operates Franciscan Health Crown Point, says the partnership helps remove some of the burden for parents who deliver preemies or babies with complex health conditions that must stay in the NICU for extended periods. For families in northwest Indiana, they do not need to travel too far from home to get the care the baby needs.

“Lurie Children’s is excited to partner with Franciscan Health Crown Point on creating a regional center of excellence for neonatology in Northwest Indiana,” said Dr. Tom Shanley, president and CEO of Lurie Children’s. “Infants and their families receive the highest level of care, with access to expertise from a network of more than 1,800 of Lurie Children’s specialists for phone consults, with the convenience of remaining close to their homes.”