INDIANAPOLIS (Oct. 29, 2010) - Governor Mitch Daniels and Mayor Greg Ballard joined leaders from Ascension Health today to announce the organization's plans for a professional service center in Indianapolis, creating up to 500 new jobs by 2013. This is the third major jobs announcement in Central Indiana this week; a fourth will take place in Muncie later today.
With an investment of approximately $10.9 million, Ascension Health, the nation's largest Catholic and largest nonprofit health care system, will open its Ascension Health Ministry Service Center in Indianapolis. The new center will provide a variety of services in human resources, supply chain, finance and accounting to support the nonprofit system's 70 acute care hospitals and more than 400 related health care facilities in 20 states and the District of Columbia. Ascension Health is finalizing a lease on an office building in northwestern Indianapolis that will house the new center.
"The system we know as Ascension Health has been saving lives and employing Hoosiers for generations. Indiana is deeply proud to be chosen for this large new investment and the 500 excellent jobs that come with it," said Daniels.
On Tuesday, ExactTarget announced it intends to expand its headquarters in Indianapolis, creating up to 500 new jobs by 2015. On the same day, Cummins said it was expanding its engineering and design department at its Columbus headquarters and creating up to 350 new jobs by 2012.
Headquartered in St. Louis with 113,000 associates around the country, Ascension Health already has a significant presence in Indiana and is a major employer. St. Vincent Health, a 20-hospital system in Indiana that has more than 13,000 associates and 2,500 physicians, is a part of Ascension Health. TriMedx, an Ascension Health subsidiary and healthcare equipment services company, also is headquartered in Indianapolis. In Evansville, St. Mary's Health System is a member of Ascension Health that employs 3,765, and the national system also operates an information services division in that city.
"Our stewardship of a 400-year legacy of caring calls us to continue to look for ways to ensure we use resources wisely by improving the way we work on behalf of those we serve every day," said Ascension Health's president and chief executive officer, Anthony Tersigni, Ed.D., FACHE. "Bringing our capabilities together in one place to serve the national health ministry in vital support areas will allow us develop new capacity and expertise, lower our costs and improve our ability to serve overall. Over the years, the Health Ministries of Ascension Health have demonstrated a willingness to innovate in ways that allow us to devote more resources to our Mission and service to our communities. We are very excited about the potential of this resource for our ministry, those we serve and for the community."
"This Ascension Health Ministry Service Center will help Ascension Health achieve our Mission and become a truly connected ministry," said Robert Henkel, FACHE, Ascension Health's president, healthcare operations and chief operating officer. "The establishment of this new center is a key part of a larger transformational process under way within Ascension Health to standardize and synchronize systems, processes and data. We're giving our Health Ministries new insights into their operations and enabling the sharing of best practices across our national health ministry. All of that contributes to better controlling healthcare costs."
"We are excited to be building our new center here. Both state and local leaders worked very hard to bring these new jobs to Indiana," said Lee Coulter, senior vice president and chief executive officer of the shared services group that will run the center. "This Ascension Health Ministry Service Center is good for Indiana and Indianapolis because of the new jobs it creates there. Just as importantly, it will play a vital role supporting doctors and nurses around the country as they continue living our Mission to provide care to all persons with special attention to those who are poor and vulnerable."
Hiring for the center will begin in a few months, and the facility is expected to become operational in the summer of 2011.
"In a competitive situation, Indianapolis has once again come out on top as the choice location for business. We welcome Ascension Health's new professional service center to our city and recognize the vital role its 500 new employees will have in helping the doctors and nurses throughout the Ascension Health system, including St. Vincent Health, deliver better quality healthcare while controlling costs. I'm confident that our pool of talented workers will fulfill this important mission," said Mayor Greg Ballard. "We are thrilled Ascension Health has chosen Indianapolis and look forward to having them as part of our community."
The Indiana Economic Development Corporation offered Ascension Health up to $5 million in performance-based tax credits and up to $90,000 in training grants based on the company's job creation plans. Develop Indy and the City of Indianapolis offered Ascension Health infrastructure support and a training grant worth up to $300,000. Develop Indy will also support property tax abatement for Ascension Health before the Metropolitan Development Commission. Indy Partnership served as a project liaison, providing research and site selection support.
About Ascension Health
Ascension Health (www.ascensionhealth.org) is transforming healthcare by providing the highest quality care to all, with special attention to those who are poor and vulnerable. Ascension Health, which provided $1.1 billion in care of persons who are poor and community benefit last year, is the nation's largest Catholic and nonprofit health system. Our Mission-focused Health Ministries employ 113,000 associates serving in more than 500 locations in 20 states and the District of Columbia.
About IEDC
Created by Governor Mitch Daniels in 2005 to replace the former Department of Commerce, the Indiana Economic Development Corporation is governed by a 12-member board chaired by Governor Daniels. Mitch Roob serves as the chief executive officer of the IEDC. For more information about IEDC, visit www.iedc.in.gov.