The current Witham Hospital, built in 2003, sits just north of the site of the original building. (IBJ photo/Chad Williams)
Witham Health Services, which provides medical services to residents throughout Boone County, announced Tuesday that it has signed a non-binding letter of intent to join Fort Wayne-based Parkview Health later this year.
Lebanon-based Witham is a county-run hospital with about 1,200 employees, including about 100 physicians and advanced practice providers such as nurse practitioners.
Witham’s main campus features a 60-bed acute-care hospital built in 2003 with an emergency room, imaging, laboratory, primary care and specialty physician practices at 2605 N. Lebanon St. The health system also operates clinics in Crawfordsville, Frankfort, Jamestown, Thorntown and Zionsville. It has a freestanding emergency room in Whitestown.
In a press release, Witham officials said the health system’s “longstanding reputation, strong clinical performance and trusted presence in Boone County align closely with Parkview’s mission to support local health care delivery, address evolving community needs and ensure rural and growing areas of Indiana have sustainable, high-quality care for years to come.”
Witham’s agreement to join Parkview is subject to successful completion of due diligence, regulatory approvals and final authorization from the Boone County Commissioners and the Boone County Council. The health system plans to hold a public hearing to discuss the agreement. Hospital leaders were not available for interviews Tuesday morning.
Witham, led by CEO Kelly Braverman, dates back more than a century in Boone County. In 1915, Union Army Civil War veteran and retired Boone County farmer Flavius J. Witham donated $15,000 for the construction of a new hospital. Witham Memorial Hospital opened in 1917.
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In 2024, Witham reported $555.7 million in revenue, up 7.8% from $515.3 million in 2023.
“It was important to choose a system that shares our values and our mission to improve the health of our community. We wanted a leader in quality, and we’ve found that at Parkview,” Braverman said in a written statement. “We are also impressed by Parkview’s nationally recognized patient experience and workplace culture and are excited about the potential to expand services, enhance clinical capabilities, and improve access for patients in and around Boone County.”
For generations, Witham has been the only inpatient hospital in the county, but that is about to change.
In August, Parkview announced plans to build a $150 million, 30-bed hospital and medical office building in Lebanon on the city’s south side near Interstate 65 and State Road 39.
Parkview said work on the 108,000-square foot hospital and 30,000-square foot medical office building is expected to begin this year with the hospital opening in summer 2028, creating about 200 health care jobs.
Witham’s announcement comes amid a series of recent moves by Parkview Health involving expansion into areas of the state away from its headquarters in Fort Wayne. Parkview — a large health system with 15 hospitals — has grown its investment and interest in central Indiana in multiple ways, including increasing digital and TV advertising and announcing plans for a $200 million hospital in West Lafayette. In November, Parkview formalized its previously interim managed-services agreement with financially struggling, Hamilton County-owned Riverview Health.
Parkview also entered into a formal partnership with Goshen Health earlier this year.
Large nonprofit hospital systems Community Health Network, Asension St. Vincent and IU Health have medical facilities in Boone County — but not hospitals.
With a population of 78,773 in 2024, the county has grown 11% since 2020 and is predicted to reach almost 85,000 residents by 2030, according to STATS Indiana.
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