The

MEGAPHONE

Elwood, Indiana                                                  Elwood High School(s)

Volume 2, No. 4                                                                                              April 15, 2001

Contents

Page 1 -- Your Old Hometown Today -- Sharon (Benedict) Hurst

Page 2 -- Keep Electoral College as the framers intended -- a letter from Richard M. Dellinger
Page 3 -- Meet the Moderator -- Genie (Forst) Boyer
                        The Thought Of You -- Sharon (Woods) Schwartz

Page 4 -- Wolff's Restaurant & Bar -- Indianapolis Star 

Page 5 -- Journey To Guam -- Part III & Part IV -- Julie (Stout) Duffitt  
Page 6-- Bits and Pieces -- In and Around Elwood -- Indianapolis Star

                        Cook's Corner -- Anonymous

Page 7 -- Stuff To Remember When Emailing -- Tom & Diane (Usfo) Peters

Page 8 -- A Mature Poem -- Kokomo Seniors

St. Vincent Mercy Hospital
1331 South A Street
Elwood, Indiana 46036
Contact: Ryan Long
Phone:  (765) 552-4580
FAX: (765) 552-4713

Elwood, Indiana -- The final approval of St. Vincent Mercy Hospital’s expansion project was announced Tuesday night by Ascension Health, the parent organization. The construction of the 28,500 square-foot expansion and 19,370 square-foot renovation is the culmination of years of planning, dreaming, patience, and enthusiasm. This project will be made possible through a combination of financing from Ascension Health and a local capital campaign.

The expansion will incorporate the addition of an outpatient wing to house the new Emergency Department including Critical Care, Radiology, Admissions, Laboratory, Medical Specialty Center, and a new main entrance. Also included in the project is the renovation of vacated space which will become the Ambulatory Surgery Center, The Women’s Center, and other operational support spaces.

The hospital has purchased a building (formerly leased by the VNA) adjacent to the parking lot and it will be incorporated into the campus. This freestanding building will house a primary care center offering Rehabilitation Services as well as a family practice physician’s office in a convenient and accessible setting.

Improvements and renovations will also be made to the hospital’s exterior. Additional parking spaces will be added to the current parking lot complete with enhanced landscaping and increased lighting.

"The new main entrance will be relocated to the new addition east of the facility, closest to the parking," said David Masterson, Administrator. "The improvements will position the main facility as a flagship for a primary healthcare campus oriented to the main thoroughfare of historic uptown Elwood," Masterson added.

Site work, in preparation for a late fall ground breaking, will begin in the next few months. You will begin to see construction beginning for the relocation of the sewer system around the hospital property with improved capability for accommodating proper storm drainage from the parking lots.

"The design phase of the planning process has been ongoing with BSA Architects and will not delay the initial timeline we had for the ground breaking," said Masterson. "Many associates and physicians have had the opportunity to join in the discussions and give opinions and ideas pertaining to enhanced privacy and convenience in the facility design. They have contributed a great amount of time and effort toward making this possible."

According to Ryan Long, Director of Marketing, "The ground breaking will coincide with the festivities centered around our 75th anniversary of caring for this community. St. Vincent Mercy Hospital has listened to the voices of the customers and the associates who make it all happen and will begin a new chapter in continuing to provide quality healthcare and wellness to those we serve."

Your Roving Home Town Reporter
Nan aka Angel #2
Sharon (Benedict) Hurst '53
Now in Elwood, Indiana