St. Catherine Celebrates New ICU

Officials held a ribbon cutting and blessing ceremony for the new ICU.

St. Catherine Hospital in East Chicago has cut the ribbon on its newly-renovated Intensive Care Unit. The $2 million project included a complete redesign of the 16-bed unit, which now features more patient-friendly rooms, an isolation suite, a respiratory room and expanded storage space.

The new ICU will receive its first patient on Monday. St. Catherine says, before the renovation, the ICU was divided by a storage area and now features an open-air styled design with an oval work station, giving the nursing staff a panoramic view of all patient rooms.

"This truly is a special day for us," said Jo Ann Birdzell, chief executive officer of St. Catherine Hospital. "Our new ICU will provide our nurses, physicians, and their patients with the finest critical care facilities, systems, technology and equipment among Northwest Indiana. Dedicated, expanded storage for all those items essential to a smooth-functioning ICU has been provided to maximize the use of space dedicated to patient care."

The hospital says work is continuing on the expansion of its anti-coagulation clinic and outpatient retail pharmacy, both of which are expected to be complete next year.