Hotel-like hospital coming soon

It all began with a one-line advertisement in the weekly nursing newsletter Judith Ingala received.\nAll it said was that a new hospital in Bloomington was looking for a chief nursing officer, but that was enough for Ingala to send off her resume. \n"I've said for my entire career that I was going to build my own hospital," she said. "I always thought it was just talk, but now I'm actually getting to do it." \nIngala is getting her wish. As the vice president of patient care services and chief nursing officer, she is helping to build Monroe Hospital, Bloomington's newest health care facility. The hospital, set to open Oct. 9, will offer state-of-the-art facilities and a hotel-like atmosphere -- including 24-hour room service. It will draw patients from all over south central Indiana, said Cindy Schaefer, director of community and patient relations.\nMonroe Hospital will offer a number of different features in each of its private rooms, including wireless Internet and flat-screen televisions, Schaefer said. \nThe aim is to put patients in an environment where they can be comfortable and stay connected -- "a customer-focused hospital for the 21st century," Schaefer said.\nAll features focus on what patients need, Schaefer said. For that reason, the hospital also offers round the clock visiting hours, as well as heightened security to keep the hospital safe while open to visitors. \n"Visiting people who are sick doesn't always fall between 9 and 5," she said. "And having family around often helps people recover." \nThese features, however, will not mean a hike in prices. Schaefer said Monroe Hospital's fees will be no different than any other hospital, and it has contracts with insurance companies already, including government programs Medicare and Medicaid. She expects the sheer volume of patients to compensate for the cost of the special features in the rooms. \n"We will be very full in a very short time," Schaefer said. \nStill, Monroe Hospital is unlikely to attract many students, said Hugh Jessop, the executive director and chief financial officer for the IU Health Center. The Health Center employs eight full-time physicians, nine nurse-practitioners and two psychiatrists, and there is a fully-stocked pharmacy on site, he said. \n"We can handle anything you can think of, short of needing surgery," Jessop said. "We have cutting-edge technology."\nIn the event that a student should need surgery, students are typically transferred to Bloomington Hospital, Jessop said. Bloomington Hospital and the IU Health Center have worked together since the campus health center first opened, he said. \nProximity is also a factor in students' choices, especially in emergency situations after the IU Health Center is closed, Jessop said. \nMonroe Hospital is three miles farther away from campus than Bloomington Hospital, he said. \n"In a life-threatening situation, you want to go to the closest hospital able to handle it," Jessop said. "Bloomington Hospital will always be closer." \nAt 28 beds, Monroe Hospital is smaller than Bloomington Hospital, which has 321 beds, according to its Web site. But Schaefer said research indicated a need for additional health care services in Monroe Country. The hospital, which cost $35.5 million to build, is supported by investors and has been under construction since June 2005.\nBuilding the hospital from the ground up allows for amenities, like more spacious bathrooms, to be built right in, Ingala said. That makes life easier for everyone, including nurses, she said. \n"From a leadership perspective, we are so focused on being sure that staff have what they need to deliver care," Ingala said. "We always ask, 'What is it that hampers your ability to deliver patient care?' and work from there"