Team member input remains invaluable through Fishers Community Impact Project

Last February, Tresanay Bentley joined the IU Health Saxony team as a paramedic in the hospital’s Emergency department. As the hospital doubles in size through the Fishers Community Impact Project, Bentley has been an active participant as constructions continues.

By Charlotte Stefanski, cstefanski@iuhealth.org, writer for IU Health's Indianapolis Suburban Region

Within the last 16 years, Tresanay Bentley has worn many hats, offering teams her expertise at IU Health.

For most of that time, she worked at Riley Children’s Health, serving as a project coordinator for several different departments handling equipment, supplies, construction and design and more.

Last February, she joined the IU Health Saxony team as a paramedic in the hospital’s Emergency department. Because of her background, she’s also been able to assist the hospital’s Supply Chain team.

As IU Health Saxony—soon to be IU Health Fishers—doubles in size through the Fishers Community Impact Project—a $300 million investment to meet the needs of what has become one of the fastest growing areas in the state—Bentley has been an active participant as construction continues.

Staying involved in a bustling department

As part of the expansion, the hospital’s Emergency department will add two new exam rooms to the existing 13 and two new clinical decision units for 23-hour holding.

The Fishers Community Impact Project also includes the addition of a dedicated Pediatric Emergency department to be staffed by Riley Children’s Health emergency medicine physicians and nurses. It will include eight pediatric emergency rooms with a four-bed observation unit, as well as a separate pediatric entrance, waiting room and triage area.

When Bentley first heard the news of the expansion, she was excited.

“On the Riley care end of it, it was something exciting for us, because there are not very many pediatric options. (Fishers) would be a great spot to have more pediatric resources,” she says. “Knowing that there was just going to be more options for our patients—less clogging of those patients trying to get downtown—I just thought was a great opportunity.”

The process has been a learning curve for not only the construction crews and hospital team members, but also the patients, Bentley says.

“I feel like the patients have been, for the most part, very gracious,” she explains. “They’re even asking questions like, ‘So there's going to be more beds?’ or ‘What’s going on over there?’”

Throughout the project, it’s been important for hospital leaders to keep team members involved and informed. As their departments are renovated or newly built, they’ve been able to provide input on the finest details.

Bentley describes herself as a planner and is always six steps ahead. Because she’s worked on different projects in the past and will also be the one utilizing the space for patient care, she’s been able to offer helpful tips on the finer details.

“I'm thinking about success far ahead. How are we going to plan for this? Even something like how a light switch is going to affect this, this and this. Can that be a delayed open door? It will help reduce the number of walls being torn up as much,” Bentley says. “I keep a running total in my head. I have a lot of Post-it notes for ideas.”

The Emergency department is also one of the busiest and most patient-facing areas of any hospital, so construction can create some challenges.

Hospital team members have worked closely with construction crews to minimize interruptions, but sometimes, the teams can’t avoid the loud noises or other obstacles.

“We’ve handed out earplugs to patients and staff and just kind of accept the situation,” Bentley explains. “That's one of the things about the Emergency department. While there's always a plan, it's probably gone very quickly, and we're just going to go with it and we're going to make it happen. The team is very good about bringing each other up, like, ‘We’re going get through this together.’”

Looking forward to the future

As a former Riley team member, Bentley is looking forward to the addition of the Pediatric Emergency Medicine department.

She often hears the phrase, “Kids are just little adults,” but that’s not necessarily true when it comes to their care and how they receive it.

While the team does a great job of taking care of pediatric patients now, she knows having dedicated pediatric physicians and Child Life specialists—who utilize therapeutic interventions throughout a child’s care—will only improve care.

“I think that the collaboration between the pediatrics and adult world will grow here quite a bit," she says. "That will be really interesting to see.”

As the Fishers Community Impact Project is slated to be completed in 2026, Bentley is most looking forward to what’s next.

While IU Health Saxony is growing, Hamilton County also continues to grow, and there will be new ways to expand in the future.

“What is going to be the next phase? Where will we go? How big will you need to be to serve this community?” Bentley asks. “I think not only for team members, but also this community in general, what new needs or what new and exciting treatments will come from here?”