Franciscan Alliance to focus Dyer facility on mental health treatment
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Mishawaka-based Franciscan Alliance is shifting its focus in northwest Indiana over the coming years.
The organization has announced it will transition its Franciscan Health facility in Dyer into a mental and behavioral health treatment center starting in 2027.
Franciscan said in a news release the decision was based on what it sees as a severe lack of mental-health care in the U.S. The group noted Lake County has the second highest suicide rate in Indiana.
“We know that providing patients experiencing a behavioral health emergency or requiring inpatient treatment with the compassionate care they need, when and where they need it, leads to better outcomes not only for them and their families, but the community at large,” said Sister Aline Shultz, chair of the Franciscan Alliance board.
The Dyer campus currently has 92 inpatient beds but by late 2027, Franciscan says there will be added space and more behavioral health services. The nonprofit says the current emergency room will shift into a “high acuity Franciscan ExpressCare” and an emergency mental health intake space.
As part of the change, Franciscan is expanding its Munster campus, where it will direct patients who currently go to Dyer for health needs not related to mental health.
The Munster expansion is already underway, Franciscan said. The project includes expanding one medical by three stories and building and a new five-story structure.
Franciscan says patients will be notified of pending moves prior to 2027 and that current staff memebers are expected to remain in their roles at the Dyer or Munster campuses.