Quick Takes
Indiana submits $600M+ five-year rural health transformation plan to CMS, with massive regional grants at stake
Lilly Endowment vaults past Gates Foundation to become America’s largest foundation at $102B – fueled almost entirely by LLY stock
IU Health Fishers opens new medical tower, adding 50 inpatient beds and full maternity services to one of Indiana’s fastest-growing suburb
Good Samaritan (Vincennes) names Wendy Hernandez, FACHE, CHCIO as new Chief Administrative Officer; Daviess Community Hospital hires Epic-veteran CFO Christy Mehringer ahead of 2026 go-live
Policy & Regulation
Indiana drops 167-page “GROW: Cultivating Hoosier Health” rural plan seeking slice of $50B federal pie
State targets $600M in regional grants, a 24/7 patient-transfer hub, and AI-powered HIE upgrades across 64 rural counties by 2030.
Indiana Capital Chronicle
Growth & Finance
Lilly Endowment hits $102B, overtakes Gates as nation’s largest foundation - 92.5M LLY shares and the GLP-1 boom just rewrote Indiana philanthropy forever.
TipRanksIU Health Fishers completes multi-year Community Impact Project with new tower and Riley pediatric ED - Nearly doubles campus size, adds maternity, breast surgery, and 50 beds
“Patients shouldn’t have to drive downtown or to another city to see a specialist or to deliver a baby.” – CMO Dr. Larry Stevens.
Hendricks Regional Health opens new medical office building on Brownsburg hospital campus - Latest suburban expansion play on Indy’s booming west side.
Inside INdiana BusinessDays cash on hand – An Indiana system lands on scoreboard (as of 9/30/25) - Deaconess had 257.7 days cash on hand with most systems trending up slightly but still well below pre-COVID peaks.
Becker’s Hospital Review
Workforce & Leadership
Daviess Community Hospital recruits Christy Mehringer as CFO ahead of 2026 Epic implementation - She was part of a $39M Epic go-live at Memorial Hospital (Jasper) before overseeing system financial operations at Columbus Regional Health.
Becker’s Hospital ReviewGood Samaritan (Vincennes) names Wendy Hernandez, FACHE, CHCIO as new CAO - Former IU Health system VP takes the reins from incoming CEO Adam Thacker; $26M cost-reduction and 30% readmission drop on her résumé.
Good Samaritan
Sources: Towne Post, Inside INdiana Business, Indiana Capital Chronicle, TipRanks, Becker’s Hospital Review, Good Samaritan
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