Riley Hospital for Children set for $142M maternity project

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Riley Hospital for Children says it's about to begin work on a new $142 million maternity and newborn health unit at its downtown Indianapolis hospital.

Hospital officials said Friday the new unit will centralize all inpatient childbirth and newborn care offered at the three downtown Indiana University Health hospitals.

The project will involve renovating four floors at Riley and is expected to be completed in 2020. It will house a labor-and-delivery unit, a postpartum unit and a 45-bed Level 3 neonatal intensive care unit.

Riley will continue operating its 60-bed Level 4 neonatal intensive care unit, which is for the most serious cases.

Riley officials say they hope the new center will reduce Indiana's high infant mortality rate, which is the 10th highest in the country.