By HFT Staff

Franciscan Health Dyer will transition in late 2027 to a campus dedicated to treating behavioral health patients, the Franciscan Alliance healthcare ministry announced.

The transition in late 2027 to a behavioral health campus, approved by the Franciscan Alliance Board of Trustees, aims to meet the growing need for behavioral healthcare while supporting Franciscan Alliance’s regional approach to healthcare.

The transformation of Franciscan Health Dyer into a behavioral health campus in late 2027 will allow for the expansion of the current 92 bed inpatient behavioral health unit and the addition of behavioral health services.

The existing Dyer emergency room will be transformed as well, with the space being used to house a new high acuity Franciscan ExpressCare for patients seeking medical care and the addition of an emergency intake department specifically dedicated to behavioral health. Patients seeking emergency room care may seek treatment at Franciscan Health Munster, just two miles away.

Multiple international studies found anywhere from four percent to 15 percent of emergency room visits are for mental health reasons. Having an emergency intake center with medical staff members specially trained in caring for patients experiencing a behavioral health crisis can help free up beds in emergency rooms for patients in need of medical care.

All current behavioral health services will remain on the Dyer campus. Inpatient, emergency and surgical services will move from Dyer to the expanded Munster campus in late 2027. Inpatient rehabilitation will also move from Dyer to a new rehabilitation facility on the Munster campus around the same time.

Patients will be notified of pending department and office moves prior to the transition in 2027. Current staff members are expected to remain active in their roles at the Dyer or Munster campuses.

The expansion of the Munster campus, led by Tonn and Blank Construction, is already underway and includes a three-story addition to an existing three-story medical structure and the construction of a new five-story medical structure. The transition of Franciscan Health Dyer to a behavioral health campus and the expansion of Franciscan Health Munster are part of Franciscan Alliance’s regional approach to healthcare, as well as the construction of the new medical office buildings with Franciscan ExpressCares in St. John and Valparaiso, both of which are slated to open in late 2026.