multi-year project to increase community access to behavioral health care with new inpatient and

intensive outpatient programs and to expand its inpatient rehabilitation services to meet the growing

need across Northwest Indiana. 

Behavioral Health Services

The new behavioral health programs will be located at Northwest Health - Portage, 3630 Willowbrook

Road, and are expected to open in 2028. Services will include 20 inpatient beds for adults 18 and over,

with the opportunity to expand in the future.  This new service will include an intensive outpatient

program providing crisis stabilization, therapy, medication management, and care coordination.

Inpatient treatment will be offered for conditions such as mood disorders, post-traumatic stress,

psychosis and other co-occurring diagnoses. 

“We are committed to expanding services and improving the quality of care at Northwest Porter and

this project is a meaningful investment for our hospital and the community,” said Dan Doherty, Chief

Executive Officer. “We recognize there are limited local behavioral health services and are developing

this program so patients can receive timely, quality care close to home. Indiana, and our region,

continues to face a shortage of specialized behavioral health resources, and we aim to help fill that gap.”

According to the Treatment Advocacy Center, a Virginia-based nonprofit focusing on mental health

policy and research, Indiana had only 11.9 inpatient behavioral health beds per 100,000 residents in

2023 - well below the recommended 40 to 60 beds.

With limited local behavioral health resources, patients in crisis are often transferred to Terre Haute,

Fort Wayne, South Bend or even out of state, putting more strain on families already under stress. In

many cases, the emergency room becomes the only source for care in a mental health crisis, even

though it is not equipped for long-term support. The new behavioral health program will help change

that, bringing care closer to home.

Inpatient Rehabilitation Expansion

By mid-year in 2026, the hospital’s inpatient rehabilitation program will move from the Portage campus

to the main hospital at 85 East U.S. Highway 6 in Valparaiso. The inpatient rehabilitation service provides

physical, occupational, speech therapy and nursing care for patients recovering from long hospital stays,

stroke, orthopedic surgery, and other conditions.

The new, larger, and modern space will grow the program from 14 beds to 17 and include amenities

such as an adjoining dining area, spaces to practice acts of daily living, accessible restrooms, and rooms

designed for bariatric patients. Siting the rehabilitation unit at Northwest Health - Porter will improve

clinical access for inpatients and facilitate the transition to post-acute care at discharge.

“The addition of behavioral health and the expansion of our popular inpatient rehabilitation program

mark the next steps in our hospital’s growth as a regional referral center,” Doherty said. “We are

committed to applying resources to support the medical needs of our patients and our larger

community.”

Construction work for the new inpatient rehabilitation program at the Porter campus is expected to

begin in the first quarter next year. Once the relocation is complete, work will commence to create the

new behavioral health facilities at Northwest Health - Portage.