GREENFIELD — The new Hancock Gateway Health Center is expanding health care in the county, and the community will have an opportunity to get a preview of the new facilities with events on Thursday and Friday.
The new building, offering immediate care, imaging and lab services, will open its doors to patients Sept. 9. It is located in the southwest quadrant of the Interstate 70/Mt. Comfort interchange at 6189 W. John L. Modglin Drive. That location puts it 15 minutes or less away from New Palestine, Greenfield, McCordsville, Lawrence, Irvington and the east side of Indianapolis.
The center will have its grand opening from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 5:30 p.m. Those interested in attending should RSVP online at hancockgateway.org.
On Friday, all community members are invited to attend the open house event from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. to take a tour of the new facilities.
Gateway Health Center is aiming to simplify the patient experience in several ways, including by offering online appointment scheduling and registration and combining all fees from a visit into one bill.
According to Rob Matt, chief strategy and innovation officer at Hancock Health, the health center is designed to reduce health-care costs down for patients. It will accomplish that by using technology to keep down the number of employees needed and by utilizing a highly efficient “patient flow” that does not mingle inpatient and outpatient services.
“We’re trying to provide an alternative so that people will use health care because they can afford health care,” Matt said.
The facility will have approximately 30 employees, Matt said; some will be new hires and some will transfer, full- or part-time, from the hospital. It cost approximately $14 million to construct.
While the new location is somewhat isolated, Hancock Health already has plans to change that. It owns about 140 acres in the Mt. Comfort location and plans to work with developers to bring other businesses to what it’s calling Hancock Gateway Park, as well as pursuing options to expand the health facilities in the future.
