Franciscan Health Lafayette Central facts for kids
Franciscan Health Lafayette Central used to be a hospital. Today, it is a place for learning and medical offices. It houses the Franciscan Health Community Education center and various doctor's offices. It is also home to the St. Elizabeth School of Nursing, which is the only nursing school in Indiana that is based at a hospital.
This building was once known as St. Elizabeth Central. It was a hospital with 155 beds in Lafayette, Indiana, United States. It was part of the Franciscan Health hospital system. Before 2009, it was called St. Elizabeth Medical Center. It got its new name during the building of St. Elizabeth East, another hospital. In the 1980s, it was simply known as St. Elizabeth Hospital.
Contents
A Look Back: The History of St. Elizabeth
How St. Elizabeth Hospital Started
St. Elizabeth Hospital first opened its doors in 1876. Six Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration came from Germany in 1875. Their goal was to help and care for sick people in Lafayette, Indiana. The hospital grew and was made bigger in 1885.
Training Future Nurses
The St. Elizabeth School of Nursing began in 1897. It was created to train members of the Sisters' religious order to become nurses. By 1937, many more nurses were needed in the community. Because of this, the school started to accept students who were not part of the order. The building also used to have St. Francis High School and St. Francis College.
Growing and Changing Over Time
In 1921, another part was added to the hospital building. Later, in 1974, the sisters from the eastern part of their group created a special organization. This group was called the Sisters of St. Francis Health Services, Inc. It was made to manage their healthcare work.
In 1998, two hospitals, Lafayette Home Hospital and St. Elizabeth Hospital, joined together. They formed a partnership called Greater Lafayette Health Services (GLHS). Both hospitals kept their own names and traditions. By 2003, the Sisters of St. Francis Health Services became the only owners of this non-profit group. They owned both hospitals and other patient care places, still using the name Greater Lafayette Health Services.
In late 2005, Greater Lafayette Health Services announced big plans. They decided to close Home Hospital. They would build a brand new hospital on the southeast side of the city to replace it. St. Elizabeth Medical Center would stay open to care for very sick patients. Construction on the new hospital started in late 2006. It was planned to open in December 2009.
The name of the GLHS group changed in 2007 to St. Elizabeth Regional Health. Later, it changed again to Franciscan St. Elizabeth Health.
Becoming St. Elizabeth Central
In June 2009, the hospital was given a new name: St. Elizabeth Central. Its full name was Franciscan St. Elizabeth Health - Lafayette Central. This renaming was part of a plan to use the building for new purposes. The name St. Elizabeth Central was chosen to help people tell it apart from the new hospital built on the east side of town.
The Chapel at St. Elizabeth
The St. Francis Chapel at St. Elizabeth's is a special place. It offers Eucharistic Adoration 24 hours a day, every day of the week. Church services, called Masses, are held there too. They happen Monday through Friday at 7:00 AM. On Saturdays, Sundays, and special Holy Days, Masses are held at 9:00 AM.
