Community Health Network in joint venture to build 2 behavioral health hospitals

Community Health Network this week announced a joint venture with a unit of Tennessee-based health services company Lifepoint Health to build two 120-bed inpatient hospitals in the Indianapolis area, with construction scheduled to begin in early 2026.

Community Health Network spokesperson Kris Kirschner said possible locations for the new facilities, likely to be called Community Behavioral Health Hospitals, are still being evaluated. She could not provide cost estimates for the project. 

The planned expansion is in response to the increased need for services focused on serious mental health illness, the organizations said in a joint news release. Lifepoint will manage operations at the freestanding hospitals, which will be part of the Community Fairbanks Behavioral Health approach to continuity of care for patients.

In announcing plans to build the hospitals, Community and Lifepoint Behavioral Health cited a finding from the Community Mental Health Needs Assessment for Marion County, published by the Center for Health Policy at Indiana University, that two-thirds of county residents who needed treatment for a serious mental illness did not receive it.

On its website, Lifepoint Health said its behavioral health unit treats conditions including major depression, anxiety disorders, suicidal thoughts, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder and schizophrenia.

“Community is deeply committed to responding to the needs of the communities we serve,” Dr. Geoffrey Fortner, medical director for Community Fairbanks Behavioral Health, said in a written statement. “By understanding their challenges and priorities, we can deliver care that truly makes a difference, ensuring individuals and families have access to the compassionate, high-quality care they deserve.”

Community has significant ties with Lifepoint. In September, Community and Lifepoint Behavioral Health said they were forming a joint venture— Community and Lifepoint Behavioral Health—to build and operate new inpatient behavioral health hospitals.

Community and Lifepoint Rehabilitation, also a unit of Lifepoint Health, operate Community Rehabilitation Hospital North in northeast Indianapolis, Community Rehabilitation Hospital South in Greenwood and Community Rehabilitation Hospital West in Brownsburg through a similar joint venture.

“Expanding access to patient-centered specialty care is the driving force of this partnership and the work we do at a community level across the country,” said Russ Bailey, president of Lifepoint Behavioral Health.

Lifepoint Behavioral Health operates 24 behavioral health hospitals, including Sycamore Springs in Lafayette.