Latest news with #IUHealth
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Nurses are drowning while Braun ignores Indiana's health care crisis
I went up to the ICU to check on a patient and I saw Sarah, a seasoned nurse I've worked with for years, juggling six critical patients. Her eyes were tired, her steps hurried, but she still managed a reassuring smile for a frightened family. Between checking IV lines and updating charts, she whispered to me, 'I'm drowning, but I can't let anyone see it.' That moment hit me hard. Sarah's dedication keeps our hospital running, but the strain of understaffing is breaking her and countless nurses like her across Indiana. A mother waits hours in an ER for her child's care. A patient faces delays for surgery. Nurses, the backbone of our health care system, are stretched to the limit. They manage unsafe patient loads, earn modest wages and live with the fear that one missed sign or delayed response could cost a life. Many are afraid to speak up, silenced by the risk of retaliation. This is a test of Indiana's political, institutional and moral priorities. Gov. Mike Braun and hospital leaders need to restore trust among our nurses. Sarah's experience reflects a statewide crisis. The numbers paint a grim picture. Indiana hospitals face a 15% nurse vacancy rate and must train 1,300 additional nurses annually through 2031 just to keep up. Meanwhile, burnout is accelerating. A 2024 survey found that 15% of Indiana nurses plan to leave the profession, citing pay and workload as top concerns. During Nurses Week 2025, frontline caregivers shared stories of chronic understaffing, mental fatigue and a health care culture that treats exhaustion as routine. The pandemic did not cause this. It revealed how fragile the system already was. Leadership has failed to meet the moment. Braun's 2025 budget allocated nothing to address this issue. Instead, it prioritized tax cuts and tighter Medicaid eligibility. It's unclear if policymakers even recognize the crisis for what it is. If they do, they are certainly not treating it like one. Braun's signing of House Bill 1004, which requires nonprofit hospitals to reduce pricing by 2029 or risk losing tax-exempt status, was a modest step on pricing but does nothing for workforce stability. No mandate for better pay. No investment in training. No plan for retention. At the same time, the legislature has capped nursing program capacity, bottlenecking the pipeline. Hospital boards continue approving massive executive salaries. IU Health's CEO earned millions while frontline nurses juggle impossible workloads with stagnant pay. IU Health holds $8.5 billion in assets and is building a $4.3 billion campus, yet its staff face critical shortages. A 2023 study directly linked inadequate nurse staffing to higher mortality rates, longer hospital stays and millions in preventable costs. This amounts to institutional neglect. We in Indiana are already paying the price in patient outcomes and a deteriorating standard of care. Strategic investment is essential to safeguard care and retain talent. Even those who voted for Braun likely expect their hospital to be staffed and safe. Indiana's leaders must listen to the people who keep the system running and act accordingly. Here is how Indiana can begin to change things: Tie Medicaid funding to safe, patient-centered staffing and fair compensation. Hospitals receiving public funds should commit to care models grounded in safety, not cost cutting. That means fair pay for nurses with regular cost-of-living increases and staffing models that reflect patient needs. Keeping nurses in the profession protects both patients and the system. Cap executive bonuses at nonprofit hospitals that fail to support their workforce. Systems like IU Health, Community Health and Ascension must lead by aligning leadership rewards with staff and patient outcomes; not just financial performance. Invest in nursing education and retention. Raise faculty pay. Expand loan forgiveness. Fully fund a nurse residency program to grow the workforce and retain new graduates in high-need areas. Protect nurses who speak out. Enact strong whistleblower protections so nurses can report unsafe conditions without risking their careers. These actions are necessary, evidence-based and fiscally responsible. Better staffing means fewer errors and healthier communities. When nurses are supported, patients thrive and the entire system becomes more stable. We all have a stake in this issue. Hold hospital systems accountable, not just for the buildings they construct, but also for the people who work inside them. We cannot afford to keep building hospitals while ignoring the people who make health care possible. Braun and hospital leaders must protect the workforce now. Without nurses there is no health care. And without action, there soon won't be enough left to care. Dr. Raja Ramaswamy is an Indianapolis-based physician and the author of "You Are the New Prescription." This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana nursing shortage ignored in Mike Braun's budget | Opinion
Indianapolis Star
5 days ago
- Health
- Indianapolis Star
Nurses are drowning while Braun ignores Indiana's health care crisis
I went up to the ICU to check on a patient and I saw Sarah, a seasoned nurse I've worked with for years, juggling six critical patients. Her eyes were tired, her steps hurried, but she still managed a reassuring smile for a frightened family. Between checking IV lines and updating charts, she whispered to me, 'I'm drowning, but I can't let anyone see it.' That moment hit me hard. Sarah's dedication keeps our hospital running, but the strain of understaffing is breaking her and countless nurses like her across Indiana. A mother waits hours in an ER for her child's care. A patient faces delays for surgery. Nurses, the backbone of our health care system, are stretched to the limit. They manage unsafe patient loads, earn modest wages and live with the fear that one missed sign or delayed response could cost a life. Many are afraid to speak up, silenced by the risk of retaliation. This is a test of Indiana's political, institutional and moral priorities. Gov. Mike Braun and hospital leaders need to restore trust among our nurses. Sarah's experience reflects a statewide crisis. The numbers paint a grim picture. Indiana hospitals face a 15% nurse vacancy rate and must train 1,300 additional nurses annually through 2031 just to keep up. Meanwhile, burnout is accelerating. A 2024 survey found that 15% of Indiana nurses plan to leave the profession, citing pay and workload as top concerns. During Nurses Week 2025, frontline caregivers shared stories of chronic understaffing, mental fatigue and a health care culture that treats exhaustion as routine. The pandemic did not cause this. It revealed how fragile the system already was. Leadership has failed to meet the moment. Braun's 2025 budget allocated nothing to address this issue. Instead, it prioritized tax cuts and tighter Medicaid eligibility. It's unclear if policymakers even recognize the crisis for what it is. If they do, they are certainly not treating it like one. Braun's signing of House Bill 1004, which requires nonprofit hospitals to reduce pricing by 2029 or risk losing tax-exempt status, was a modest step on pricing but does nothing for workforce stability. No mandate for better pay. No investment in training. No plan for retention. At the same time, the legislature has capped nursing program capacity, bottlenecking the pipeline. Hospital boards continue approving massive executive salaries. IU Health's CEO earned millions while frontline nurses juggle impossible workloads with stagnant pay. IU Health holds $8.5 billion in assets and is building a $4.3 billion campus, yet its staff face critical shortages. A 2023 study directly linked inadequate nurse staffing to higher mortality rates, longer hospital stays and millions in preventable costs. This amounts to institutional neglect. We in Indiana are already paying the price in patient outcomes and a deteriorating standard of care. Strategic investment is essential to safeguard care and retain talent. Even those who voted for Braun likely expect their hospital to be staffed and safe. Indiana's leaders must listen to the people who keep the system running and act accordingly. Here is how Indiana can begin to change things: These actions are necessary, evidence-based and fiscally responsible. Better staffing means fewer errors and healthier communities. When nurses are supported, patients thrive and the entire system becomes more stable. We all have a stake in this issue. Hold hospital systems accountable, not just for the buildings they construct, but also for the people who work inside them. We cannot afford to keep building hospitals while ignoring the people who make health care possible. Braun and hospital leaders must protect the workforce now. Without nurses there is no health care. And without action, there soon won't be enough left to care.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Former Eli Lilly execs donate $20 million to establish IU Health clinical institute
Two former Eli Lilly executives and their families will donate $20 million to IU Health Foundation — the largest philanthropic gift in the foundation's history — to establish the Institute for Clinical Innovation, a hub for groundbreaking disease detection and treatment. IU Health will match the gift, bringing the total investment to $40 million shared between the health system and the medical school. The IU Health Foundation acts as the philanthropic arm of IU Health's statewide health care system. Housed in the massive IU hospital complex under construction on the north side of downtown, the institute will accelerate the speed of medical research in Indiana and provide clinicians and researchers with more resources. IU Health leaders say they hope the investment will triple the number of patients in clinical trials. They hope to enroll 75,000 patients in clinical trials each year and within five years enroll 300,000 people in the Indiana Biobank initiative. Indianapolis residents Sarah and John Lechleiter and Deborah and Randall Tobias partnered on the donation that will benefit patients across Indiana. Randall Tobias held the title of chair, president and CEO of Eli Lilly from 1993-2003, before he was nominated by President George W. Bush to lead the U.S. effort to fight against the global HIV/AIDS epidemic. John Lechleiter served as CEO of the pharmaceutical giant from 2008-2017 before handing over the reins to current CEO Dave Ricks. 'Our families share a commitment to advancing the future of healthcare for our Hoosier neighbors,' the Tobiases and Lechleiters said in a joint statement. 'This gift will support IU Health and IU School of Medicine in their joint efforts to expand clinical trial participation in our state for the benefit of patients in Indiana and around the globe.' 'The Lechleiter and Tobias families could have made this gift anywhere in the world. Choosing IU Health and IU School of Medicine demonstrates immense trust in our researchers and caregivers,' IU Health President and CEO Dennis Murphy said. 'Thanks to this commitment, our patients will get early access to life-saving treatments and The Institute for Clinical Innovation will become a destination for leading-edge healthcare.' IU Health's $2.31 billion hospital complex, which will replace the aging IU Health Methodist Hospital, is expected to open in late 2027. IU Health hospital development: 'If we only build a great hospital, we will have failed:' IU Health project spurs new group Alysa Guffey covers business and development for IndyStar. Contact her at amguffey@ This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Former Lilly executives donate $20 million for IU clinical institute
Axios
22-05-2025
- Health
- Axios
Take a tour of Indianapolis Motor Speedway's infield care center
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway infield holds the famed Pagoda, the pits, garages, a whole other racetrack, a golf course, and, on race day, the state's busiest emergency room. Why it matters: About 350,000 people will be packed into IMS on Sunday and several hundred of them are expected to need medical attention. Driving the news: Axios toured IU Health's infield care center, which was renovated in 2023. What they're saying:"One, maybe two days a year, we will be the busiest emergency department in the state depending on how hot Carb Day is," Tracy Ballard, clinic operations manager for the IMS infield care center and IndyCar, told Axios. How many patients they see is weather dependent, Ballard said, with heat being the biggest factor. It usually ranges between 100 and 300 over 12 hours on race day. "We see everything that a normal emergency department would see," she said. "We see cuts, scrapes, bruises … folks that have maybe celebrated a little too much with alcohol." They also see fans with more serious conditions, like a stroke or cardiac arrest. By the numbers: The facility has 18 beds — 14 for the public and four in an area that's just for the drivers. The public side is divided between beds for less serious conditions and an area for more critical care. That includes a resuscitation bay, allowing doctors to stabilize individuals before transporting them to a hospital if needed. Plus: There are 14 first aid stations throughout the track. Zoom in: The center is equipped to deal with any situation the track may throw at drivers racing open-wheel, open cockpit cars at 230-plus mph. That includes X-rays, ultrasound and, during the Month of May and Brickyard 400 NASCAR race, whole blood for transfusion. A helicopter is on site, though an ambulance can get to the hospital faster when traffic isn't bad. On race day, a neurologist, orthopedic surgeon, trauma surgeon and optometrist are on site — just in case. IU Health also provides medical coverage on pit lane, with four paramedics or EMTs. State of play: During all races on the oval track, drivers have to get checked out at the care center after any contact with the wall. During road races, they don't have to come in if they can drive away from the incident. Between the lines: It's not just the Month of May that the facility is open. "There are events from March through October out here at IMS," Ballard said. "So anytime IMS asks us to be open for larger events or for private tests, anything that you have going on out here, we are open."
Indianapolis Star
22-05-2025
- Health
- Indianapolis Star
Former Eli Lilly execs donate $20 million to establish IU Health clinical institute
Two former Eli Lilly executives and their families will donate $20 million to IU Health Foundation — the largest philanthropic gift in the foundation's history — to establish the Institute for Clinical Innovation, a hub for groundbreaking disease detection and treatment. IU Health will match the gift, bringing the total investment to $40 million shared between the health system and the medical school. The IU Health Foundation acts as the philanthropic arm of IU Health's statewide health care system. Housed in the massive IU hospital complex under construction on the north side of downtown, the institute will accelerate the speed of medical research in Indiana and provide clinicians and researchers with more resources. IU Health leaders say they hope the investment will triple the number of patients in clinical trials. They hope to enroll 75,000 patients in clinical trials each year and within five years enroll 300,000 people in the Indiana Biobank initiative. Indianapolis residents Sarah and John Lechleiter and Deborah and Randall Tobias partnered on the donation that will benefit patients across Indiana. Randall Tobias held the title of chair, president and CEO of Eli Lilly from 1993-2003, before he was nominated by President George W. Bush to lead the U.S. effort to fight against the global HIV/AIDS epidemic. John Lechleiter served as CEO of the pharmaceutical giant from 2008-2017 before handing over the reins to current CEO Dave Ricks. 'Our families share a commitment to advancing the future of healthcare for our Hoosier neighbors,' the Tobiases and Lechleiters said in a joint statement. 'This gift will support IU Health and IU School of Medicine in their joint efforts to expand clinical trial participation in our state for the benefit of patients in Indiana and around the globe.' 'The Lechleiter and Tobias families could have made this gift anywhere in the world. Choosing IU Health and IU School of Medicine demonstrates immense trust in our researchers and caregivers,' IU Health President and CEO Dennis Murphy said. 'Thanks to this commitment, our patients will get early access to life-saving treatments and The Institute for Clinical Innovation will become a destination for leading-edge healthcare.' IU Health's $2.31 billion hospital complex, which will replace the aging IU Health Methodist Hospital, is expected to open in late 2027.
