Latest news with #EskenaziHospital
Indianapolis Star
2 days ago
- Health
- Indianapolis Star
Marion County health leaders praised Braun with $500k in ads. Then the state cut funding
The digital ads flooded the websites of IndyStar and The Indianapolis Business Journal this March and April: "Thank you, Governor Mike Braun," read an all-caps statement next to a portrait of Braun's smiling face, "for fully funding healthcare in Marion County." The $500,000 ad campaign — paid for by the Health and Hospital Corp. of Marion County, the massive public entity that oversees Eskenazi Hospital, the Marion County Public Health Department, Indianapolis Emergency Medical Services and dozens of nursing homes — was specifically thanking the governor for including a $38 million annual state payment for uninsured and low-income patients at Eskenazi Hospital in his proposed state budget, an HHC spokesman said. The state has paid that amount to HHC annually since 2009 in recognition of Eskenazi's role as a safety net for those who can't pay. But that praise proved premature. In April Senate Republicans released their own version of the budget that cut the $38 million in support. Weeks later, lawmakers removed an additional $17 million from the local health department while adjusting for a weaker revenue forecast. Braun signed the new two-year budget into law this May, quietly approving the cuts. Those two losses now account for nearly half of a $125 million reduction in revenues that HHC is forecasting for 2026. To counter the funding shortfall, hospital department heads are being urged to trim their costs and HHC leaders are searching for new funding options — all while vowing to continue providing care for Marion County's most vulnerable residents. "Every division of Health & Hospital Corporation will be expected to serve more with less," HHC spokesman Curt Brantingham told IndyStar in a written statement. State Sen. Ryan Mishler, the Senate's chief budget writer, did not respond to a question through his spokesperson about the reasoning for the $38 million cut in state aid for patients who struggle to afford health care. Along with that money, the HHC also lost nearly $17 million in annual state dollars through Health First Indiana, an investment in local health departments passed under Gov. Eric Holcomb that aimed to combat years of subpar public health funding. That cut came after lawmakers learned in April that they would have $2 billion less to spend because of a projected revenue decline spurred by national economic uncertainty. The bygone state revenues and rising costs, due in large part to inflation and economic instability, have contributed to HHC's operating deficit of nearly $100 million for next year, interim CFO James Simpson said during a July 29 board meeting. The HHC's proposed budget for 2026 is more than $2.6 billion — about $1 billion larger than the city of Indianapolis' most recent annual budget. Overall, the HHC is funded by a mix of sources: patient revenue from Eskenazi Health and nursing homes, local property and income taxes, government grants and federal programs like Medicaid. Brantingham said the $500,000 ad campaign thanking Braun was paid for from HHC's general fund and did not require approval from the HHC Board of Trustees — the seven-member board including three members appointed by the Indianapolis mayor, two by the City-County Council and two by the county commissioners. Asked why the ad campaign was approved before the final state budget had passed, Brantingham said HHC "was advocating for the governor's annual $38 million line item" to be included. For 2026, HHC plans to send $25 million in property taxes to Eskenazi to replace some of the lost state funding. Simpson said he expects the agency can reduce the $100 million deficit in the coming years by dipping into more than $800 million in cash reserves in a general fund, if needed, and maximizing the county property tax revenue it can collect. That wouldn't necessarily increase the amount of property taxes Marion County residents pay, because of property tax caps, but it will mean less money for other county taxing units like Indianapolis. To close Eskenazi Health's nearly $60 million portion of HHC's total deficit, CEO Lisa Harris said she's asking her department leaders to find ways to reduce costs by 3.5% moving forward. "Leaders of every division are focused on finding efficiencies and systemwide improvements that help HHC continue to serve our community and our state with care and compassion," Brantingham said in a statement. The HHC's funding woes come as Indiana health providers expect to lose billions in federal Medicaid dollars over the next decade after the passage of the federal "One Big Beautiful Bill Act." The reductions could cost Indiana an estimated $31 billion over the next decade, according to an analysis by the Urban Institute and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, with the state's hospitals losing nearly $13 billion. The HHC expects to make up some of that difference through a new "State-Directed Payments" program that will supplement Indiana's low Medicaid reimbursement rate, leaders say. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of Hoosiers are among the millions of Americans who could lose Medicaid coverage. Health experts predict a growing number of them will turn to emergency rooms for treatment that tends to be more expensive. Harris at Eskenazi Health said she's concerned about the long-term consequences of the Medicaid cuts, which could result in longer wait times in emergency departments and more suffering from late-stage diseases that could have been treated sooner. "When people avoid primary care, preventive care, we expect that more will end up in the emergency department," Harris said at the HHC meeting. "They will flood the emergency department, making access a challenge for everybody seeking emergency care ... And then our costs, the overall costs to the system and the community for caring for disease, will go up."
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Yahoo
Family of Marion County deputy files wrongful death lawsuit against Eskenazi and Cintas
The family of Marion County Deputy John Durm filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Eskenazi Hospital and Cintas Corporation on July 7, almost two years after an inmate killed the officer in a failed jail escape. The lawsuit filed in the Marion County Court claims Eskenazi's security personnel and employees failed to properly restrain the inmate, Orlando Mitchell, after he left his medical appointment, and that Cintas Corporation failed to maintain medical devices in the jail that could have saved Durm's life. The lawsuit alleges that the hospital breached its duty to act "reasonably under the circumstances when it instructed its security to help Durm, Sr., un-restrain and re-restrain" Mitchell, who was known to be a "dangerous inmate." At the time of the 2022 incident, Mitchell was awaiting trial on charges that he had shot Krystal Walton, the mother of his son. He has since been sentenced to serve 66 years for Walton's death. Mitchell allegedly strangled Durm to death on July 10, 2023, inside the Marion County Jail's vehicle port on the return trip from Eskenazi Hospital. Durm had opened the van doors when Mitchell used the chains linking his handcuffs to choke Durm, according to court records. Durm struggled for a couple of minutes to remove the chain from around his neck, but Mitchell stayed on top of him until Durm stopped moving. Mitchell then entered the transport van and drove through the gates of the Community Justice Campus before crashing into a utility pole just outside the parking lot. Durm was left lying unresponsive in the jail port for several minutes before another officer found his body and a jail nurse attempted CPR. The lawsuit claims that because Eskenazi security personnel failed to sufficiently restrain Mitchell, the hospital ultimately failed its "duty to Durm" and by proxy caused his death. In addition, the lawsuit argues that Cintas Corporation failed to maintain the automated external defibrillator it had supplied to the Marion County Sheriff's Office in "working condition" and in doing so failed their "duty to Durm" and by proxy caused his death. The family is hoping to receive monetary compensation to help cover costs associated with medical, funeral and estate expenses and attorney fees, the lawsuit says. On July 10, 2023, Mitchell was charged with two counts of murder, one count of robbery resulting in serious bodily injury and escape in connection with the killing of Durm. Mitchell is expected to go to trial in August of 2026, according to court documents. Contact IndyStar reporter Noe Padilla at npadilla@ follow him on X @1NoePadilla or on Bluesky @ This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Family of Marion County Deputy John Durm files wrongful death lawsuit
Indianapolis Star
02-07-2025
- Indianapolis Star
'Do you want to die?' 16-year-old charged as adult in Beech Grove shooting of teen girl
A 15-year-old who was arrested last year for the shooting death of a teenage Beech Grove girl is now being charged as an adult in her killing. Emanuel Carter, who is now 16, is accused of killing Makayla Bauman, 18, and court documents reveal it was over a robbery gone wrong. He was charged by the Marion County Prosecutor's Office with murder, robbery resulting in serious bodily injury, and dangerous possession of a firearm where a child possesses a firearm. "She was killed on Sunday, and they made an arrest on Monday," her mother, Jennifer Bauman, told IndyStar. "He's only just now being charged as an adult." The family did not want to release a statement on the arrest since the investigation is ongoing. At 9:02 p.m., on Sept. 29, 2024, Beech Grove Police were alerted to possible shots fired via gunshot detection devices in the Park View at Beech Grove apartments area. As officers were heading to the scene, dispatch updated the run to a person shot at a home in the 5900 block of Riva Ridge Drive, less than a mile and a half away. Police found Makayla Bauman shot, and her 15-year-old brother was tending to her wound. She was taken to Eskenazi Hospital in critical condition, but later died. An autopsy for the 18-year-old revealed that she had been struck by a single bullet in the right chest, with the bullet becoming lodged in the left shoulder. This is consistent with a person being shot through the passenger side door while seated in a vehicle. 'You couldn't ask for a better kid.' 18-year-old shot and killed in Beech Grove Investigators found five shell casings under a carport in the parking lot of the complex within the 5400 block of Fetterbush Lane and determined they came from two different firearms. According to court documents, Bauman's brother told detectives that his sister drove to Fetterbush Lane, where he was going to sell marijuana to a person he knew as "Man Man," later identified as Carter. The deal was arranged through Snapchat. Bauman's brother was in the driver's side of his sister's car while she was in the passenger side when Carter and another person approached the vehicle, according to a probable cause for his arrest. Bauman's brother told detectives he was handing over the drugs when Carter and the other person pulled out guns and pointed them at his head. 'Give me everything. Do you want to die?' Carter told Bauman's brother, according to court records. Bauman's brother put the vehicle in reverse in an attempt to flee before both suspects began shooting at the vehicle. He was driving out of the apartment complex when Makayla Bauman stated, 'I think I just got shot.' He noticed his sister then began 'fading out." While trying to drive home, he called their mother to tell her what happened, but eventually stopped the car before being found by officers. Bauman's brother told detectives he and Carter were classmates at Beech Grove High School during their freshman year in 2023. He didn't get a good look at the other person, but believed the boy to be Carter's brother. Detectives located Carter and his brother, who told investigators they were staying overnight at a friend's house at Park View Apartments. An Instagram message tied to Carter's account and obtained by police indicates the teen was setting up and planning to rob Bauman's brother. During interrogation, Carter's brother said he was also at the shooting and pulled the trigger because he thought they were the ones being robbed. Beech Grove Police have not announced any other arrests in the case. At an initial hearing on July 2, Carter pleaded not guilty. His jury trial is set for Sept. 29.
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Yahoo
Merom man injured in off-round vehicle accident
Indiana Conservation Officers are investigating an off-road vehicle accident that occurred Friday night in Merom in Sullivan County. About 8:10 p.m., Sullivan County Sheriff's Department Dispatch received a 911 call reporting an off-road vehicle had collided with a truck on Third Street just north of Indiana 58. Witnesses reported the off-road vehicle traveling recklessly at a high rate of speed prior to the accident. The operator of that vehicle, Timothy J. Porras, 29, of Merom, was ejected from the vehicle in the accident, and he was airlifted to Eskenazi Hospital in Indianapolis in serious condition. No safety equipment was utilized at the time of the accident and alcohol is a possible contributing factor, police said. The incident is still under investigation. Indiana Conservation Officers remind the public that ORV operators and passengers should always wear a helmet and protective riding gear and use all safety restraints. For information on off-road vehicle laws and safe operating procedures, visit and Assisting agencies include Sullivan County Sheriff's Office, Carlise Town Marshal, Sullivan County Ambulance Team, Gill Township Fire Department, Haddon Township Fire Department and Air Evac Life Team 39.
