HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-20-08 Bendix Physicians Center
City of South Bend
For Immediate Release
October 20, 2008
4:00 PM
Contact: Mike Stack, Public Relations Coordinator, Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center
574-472-6904, 472-2426(Pager), 472-6900 (Fax)
Ruth Linster, Memorial Health System 574-647-3234, (Pager)280-3320
Mikki Dobski, City of South Bend, 574-235-5855, 876-1564c.
Renovation to Begin at Future Home of “Bendix Family Physicians;”
Oct. 23 Press Conference, Ceremony Scheduled for
Collaboration Between Hospitals, City at LaSalle Square
The City of South Bend, Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center, and Memorial Health
System will hold a press conference and ceremony to signal the beginning of renovations of a
vacant medical office building that will soon become “Bendix Family Physicians,” located at
1010 North Bendix Drive in South Bend across from LaSalle Square. The press conference and
ceremony will be held on Thursday, October 23 at 12:00 Noon at the Westside facility.
Bendix Family Physicians, the result of an unprecedented and ambitious partnership
between Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center, Memorial Health System, and the City of South
Bend, will be a full-service medical practice and venue for community health information
programming. It is expected that renovations will be complete and the practice will open to
patients in Spring 2009.
“The City of South Bend is pleased to join as a partner with Memorial Health System and
Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center in meeting a documented community need for better,
more affordable healthcare on the Westside,” said South Bend Mayor Stephen J. Luecke. “This
initiative also represents our continued journey toward the economic revitalization of LaSalle
Square. I am confident this public-private partnership will bring new investment that will
augment the community’s planning efforts and the city’s strategic use of resources to spur
economic development.”
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SJRMC will donate the property, located on the east side of Bendix between Bonds
Avenue and Hartzer Street, to the City’s Redevelopment Commission so the Board of Public
Works can undertake needed renovations. South Bend Heritage Foundation has provided design
and construction management services to prepare specifications for public bidding. A $346,000
contract for interior remodeling and a reconfigured building entrance was awarded to H.G.
Christman Construction on October 6, funded through the Airport Economic Development Area
Tax Increment Financing (TIF) fund. When complete, the Commission will convey the facility
to the Community Health Partners, a newly-formed managing 501( c )3, in exchange for a 10-
year commitment for quality health-care services and community health education efforts at the
site. Community Health Partners will invest nearly $1.2 million to furnish and equip the facility,
sponsor community health programming, and to underwrite ongoing operational costs.
"Providing permanent medical homes within our patients' neighborhoods is part of our
Mission and doing so for Westside residents is a direct response to their input," said Nancy R.
Hellyer, SJRMC’s President & CEO. "Bendix Family Physicians will be a fine collaborative
model offering medical care and health-related educational opportunities in one place."
SJRMC conducted a Community Needs Assessment in 2007 and noted that the most
pressing needs for Westside residents were access to primary health care services in their
immediate locale, affordability of that care, and having a permanent medical home in which
established physicians would provide care on a regular basis. SJRMC approached Memorial
Hospital of South Bend and the City of South Bend with its findings and invited both entities to
join in an effort to address the health-related needs of the residents.
“Collaboration and improving the quality of life in our community are action values
Memorial Hospital and Health System whole-heartedly embrace,” said Phil Newbold, Memorial
Hospital and Health System’s President and CEO. “It has been rewarding to collaborate with the
City of South Bend and Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center in bringing this much-needed
medical resource to the community. We thank the Redevelopment Commissioners for their
confidence in our commitment to bring healthcare to the west side of South Bend. The
Commission helped to lay the foundation for the Bendix Family Physicians to make our shared
dream a reality. This foundational support has allowed us to leverage the City’s TIF dollars to a
nearly matching amount in outside grants and donations for medical and communication
equipment to outfit Bendix Family Physicians as a first class medical home. We are excited and
energized with how this project has captured the hearts of many in our community.”
The effort coincides with community-wide planning already underway for the physical
revitalization of the former LaSalle Square shopping area. The City of South Bend has pledged
an additional $1.4 million in TIF funding in 2008 for implementation of the LaSalle Square
Strategic Development plan, which was supported by a citizen-led steering committee and
adopted by the Redevelopment Commission on October 3rd.
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