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News Release

Last modified: Tuesday, July 19, 2011

State's first-of-its-kind neuroscience facility reaches halfway point

INDIANAPOLIS -- The future of neuroscience is taking shape in downtown Indianapolis as construction for the first phase of the much-anticipated Indiana University Health Neuroscience Center reaches the halfway point.

Earlier this morning, leaders from IU Health and Indiana University School of Medicine and Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard gathered for a beam signing and topping out ceremony at the construction site of the neuroscience complex's first building, Phase I -- a 270,000-square-foot ambulatory care and imaging center being built along 16th Street on the campus of IU Health Methodist Hospital.

This time next year, patients with all kinds of nervous system disorders ranging from Alzheimer's disease to stroke will finally have a convenient, one-stop shop for nationally ranked neuroscience care.

About the Phase I facility

This new, six-level outpatient facility -- located on the IU Health Methodist Hospital campus -- will provide patients with convenient access to experts in areas such as:

• Neurology
• Neurosurgery
• Clinical and Research Diagnostic Imaging
• Psychiatry
• Neuro-oncology
• Neuro-psychology
• Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
• Neurotology and Otolaryngology
• Neuro-physiology
• Neuro-ophthalmology

"The idea is to enable patients -- especially those who travel long distances -- to see all of their specialists and receive all necessary diagnostic imaging in one coordinated, follow-up clinic visit built around their specific diagnosis," said IU Health President and Chief Executive Officer Daniel F. Evans, Jr.

With the IU Health Neuroscience Center, longtime partners IU Health and IU School of Medicine are creating a centralized location where experts of different specialties and hard-to-find sub-specialties can work more closely together in order to advance the neuroscience field and improve care for all kinds of nervous system disorders.

"We're building a facility that will give patients easier access to our nationally ranked experts, while also giving our expert clinicians and researchers easier access to each other," Evans said.

In addition to administrative and practice offices, the Phase I building will feature collaboration and education space, an outpatient rehabilitation area and robotic lab, a neuro-radiology reading room, a pharmacy, a 960-stall parking garage and a skywalk connecting to the IU Health People Mover and IU Health Methodist Hospital.

"The first phase of construction for the IU Health Neuroscience Center carries tremendous importance for the development of downtown Indianapolis and the 16th Street corridor," said Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard. "It immediately creates hundreds of construction jobs, sets the stage for more opportunities in the ever-growing life sciences sector here in Indianapolis and replaces brown-field sites and unsafe buildings with state-of-the-art facilities and technologies designed to save and prolong lives."

About the IU Health Neuroscience Center

Similar to the IU Simon Cancer Center -- a state-of-the-art facility that opened in the summer of 2008 and brought together advanced treatment, education and research in one complex -- the IU Health Neuroscience Center will combine resources to further the nationally ranked neuroscience programs at IU Health and IU School of Medicine.

The vision for the IU Health Neuroscience Center is one of a complex that will consist of three buildings completed in two phases -- Phase I: an ambulatory care and imaging center, and a parking garage, scheduled to open in summer 2012, and Phase II: a neuroscience research building set to open in 2013.

The new facilities will also physically connect in ways that symbolize the collaborative spirit IU Health and IU School of Medicine hope to foster among their neuroscience experts. Three floors of the Phase I facility will bridge directly to the Phase II building -- fulfilling the vision for researchers and clinicians to work more closely together in order to bring bench research into the clinical arena faster.

"With this center and this facility, IU Health and the IU School of Medicine will continue to advance nationally ranked clinical and research capabilities in order to offer patients the latest and most effective treatments for nervous system disorders," said IU President Michael A. McRobbie.

When completed, the IU Health Neuroscience Center will be the first and only complex of its kind in Indiana and one of the few such centers in the United States where multiple neuroscience specialties are housed in one, dedicated location.

"The IU Health Neuroscience Center will create a unique national model for collaborative and multidisciplinary patient care, research and education," said Craig Brater, dean of the IU School of Medicine and IU vice president for university clinical affairs.

The construction of the Phase I facility and the overall IU Health Neuroscience Center is a continuation of IU Health and IU School of Medicine's commitment to invest more than $100 million in the neurosciences over a five-year period.

IU Health Neuroscience is one of the largest neuroscience programs in the country and the only program of its kind in Indiana to rank among the top 50 programs in the nation for Neurology & Neurosurgery in U.S.News and World Report's 2011-2012 edition of America's Best Hospitals.

Additional Details:

Building: Ambulatory Care and Imaging Center (Phase I of the Indiana University Health Neuroscience Center)
Size: 270,000 square feet.
Construction: Approximately 40 percent complete.
When opening: Summer 2012.
Special features: In addition to administrative and practice offices, the Phase I building will feature collaboration and education space, an outpatient rehabilitation area and robotic lab, an auditorium, conference rooms, a neuro-radiology reading room, a fitness center, a pharmacy, a restaurant, a 960-stall parking garage and a skywalk connecting to the IU Health People Mover and IU Health Methodist Hospital.

About Indiana University Health

Named among the "Best Hospitals in America" by U.S.News & World Report for 14 consecutive years, Indiana University Health is dedicated to providing a unified standard of preeminent, patient-centered care. A unique partnership with Indiana University School of Medicine -- one of the nation's leading medical schools -- gives IU Health's highly skilled physicians access to innovative treatments using the latest research and technology. For more information, go to https://iuhealth.org.

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