Members of the public will have a chance to walk through a life-size mockup of the next phase of the new IU Health Starke Hospital next week. The scale model has been dubbed “cardboard city.” Construction workers last month built the first phase at the former Freeman Products Building at the corner of 300 East and Culver Road in Knox.
The second phase will be ready for public tours on Tuesday, Sept. 15 and Thursday, Sept. 16 from 4 until 6 p.m. It will feature pharmacy, administration, registration, medical/surgical units and therapy services.
IU Health officials say the model helps stakeholders fully understand the space so they can create a hospital that will best meet the needs of patients, caregivers and the entire community. Suggestions offered during last month’s tour of the first phase have been incorporated into the project design. “Cardboard city” is being constructed in two phases due to limited warehouse space.
The new building will be constructed between the existing hospital and the medical office buildings. Once it is done, plans call for the demolition of the current hospital building in order to accommodate parking.
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