Indiana’s new NeuroDiagnostic Institute (NDI) is replacing the aging LaRue D. Carter Memorial Hospital as Central Indiana’s state psychiatric hospital, ushering in a new era of mental health care for the state. The $118 million facility spans more than 215,700 square feet and operates as a 159-bed hospital serving as the focal diagnostic center for six state mental health facilities. According to Dr. Jerry Sheward, chief medical officer for the Family and Social Services Administration, which oversees the facility: “It will be mutual support rather than a flagship with spokes. It’s important they not see NDI as a competitor. We’re unique but not special.”
The facility will employ about 500 staff members, compared with about 350 at LaRue Carter, and features approximately 600 security cameras throughout the building with a central monitoring office on the first floor. Videos are kept on file for at least a month. The hospital sits on the campus of Community Hospital East and is connected to that facility so patients with physical health needs will have direct access to care. All six state mental health facilities now share the same electronic medical record system, and telemedicine capabilities allow providers at NDI to consult with colleagues around the state.
The NDI will introduce new treatment opportunities, including electroconvulsive therapy and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for depression, mania, and other conditions. The facility can perform its own EEGs to aid in diagnoses. The hospital will have space for more than 60 pediatric patients, compared with 42 at LaRue Carter. Special design features accommodate mental health patients’ needs, including curved doorknobs and moldings that cannot serve as tie points, blunted sink faucets, and furniture designed to prevent harm. The facility includes an outdoor play area on the second floor, classrooms, indoor playroom, computer room, fitness area, small gym, salon, canteen, and teaching kitchen for mental health care and patient well-being.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://www.indystar.com/story/news/2019/03/14/inside-indiana-new-mental-health-hospital-in-indianapolis-neurodiagnostic-institute/3129332002/