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St. Vincent, Pacers Forge Facility Partnership

INDIANAPOLIS – Pacers Sports & Entertainment and St. Vincent are partnering on a training facility and medical office building that will provide local residents and workers improved access to high-quality care.

St. Vincent, a member of Ascension, the nation’s largest Catholic and not-for-profit health system, is a leader in medical excellence, including primary care, cardiovascular services and sports performance. The 20-hospital system has secured the naming rights and on-site medical services for the five-story facility that will be privately financed by Pacers Sports & Entertainment.

"The mission at St. Vincent is focused on serving patients and the community," said Jonathan Nalli, Chief Executive Officer of St. Vincent. "In 1881, St. Vincent started serving patients in Indianapolis. Today, we are partnering with the Indiana Pacers to expand our high-quality, compassionate care to downtown Indianapolis in order help improve the health of area residents and the community."

The 130,000 square-foot St. Vincent Center will be built in a pie-shaped space on Delaware Street immediately east of Bankers Life Fieldhouse and adjacent to the Virginia Avenue Parking Garage. The space is currently an employee parking lot.

"I am thrilled that St. Vincent is going to be providing ease of access to high-quality care for those living, working and visiting our great city," said Mayor Greg Ballard. "St. Vincent Center will be another important piece of the development in that growing area of downtown."

"St. Vincent is a tremendous partner and we are grateful for their continued support of our franchises. The St. Vincent Center will allow for greater and more varied uses of Bankers Life Fieldhouse in the future," said PS&E President and Chief Operating Officer Rick Fuson.

The St. Vincent Center will provide primary care, cardiovascular and sports performance services available for athletes and the general public. St. Vincent Sports Performance will offer sports medicine physicians, sports nutrition, sport & performance psychology, sports science and physical training, which the program currently offers to athletes of all ages ranging from middle school to professional.

Primary care services will also be available to the general public, including preventive care. Board-certified cardiologists will treat patients with cardiovascular disease while offering access to the nationally recognized comprehensive services, specialists, technology and compassionate care of St. Vincent.

Cardiovascular services will be provided by St. Vincent Heart Center physicians and clinicians where Hoosiers get nationally acclaimed heart care. With more than 180 cardiovascular physicians and more than 300 heart care associates in Indiana, St. Vincent Heart Center is the largest heart care system in the state - with heart and vascular patient outcomes better than the national average. As a leader in cardiovascular research, St. Vincent cardiovascular physicians are pioneering better treatments and therapies for complex heart problems to help patients locally while significantly contributing to the progression of treating cardiovascular patients worldwide.

The partnership also includes the St. Vincent logo on the Pacers’ practice jerseys.

For the Pacers, the St. Vincent Center will house two NBA-regulation practice courts as well as the most modern training and medical facilities required by professional sports teams. Most of the Pacers Sports & Entertainment offices also will move to the Center, allowing future re-purposing and modernization of current space in Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

The current practice court in Bankers Life Fieldhouse will still be used by the Indiana Fever, but the space will be free to be utilized in a more comprehensive manner for events of all kinds. Many events, such as the Big Ten basketball tournaments, use the current practice court for media and other purposes.

The St. Vincent Center will be the 20th stand-alone training facility built by an NBA team since 1999. Many of those facilities have partnered with local health organizations.

"We know this facility will be a great addition for all of us and everyone at Pacers Sports & Entertainment," said Pacers President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird. "I’m very excited about the joint venture with St. Vincent. We see some major synergies between the two companies working together, especially in the same building. This is a state of the art facility that helps a small market team compete for top talent in a very competitive business."

"Prior to the St. Vincent Center, St. Vincent Sports Performance already had an established relationship with the Indiana Pacers by providing the team with sports psychology and dietary services," said Nalli. "St. Vincent Sports Performance is the largest hospital-based program of its kind in the country and currently provides comprehensive care to professional teams and athletes in an array of sports – including those for professional and Olympic athletes. Providing these advanced services in downtown Indianapolis will enhance our existing partnerships while adding to the vibrant sports culture of Indianapolis."

St. Vincent Sports Performance includes seven physicians, 70 nationally-certified athletic trainers, 10 certified strength and conditioning specialists, two licensed sport psychologists and one sports dietician. The Indianapolis-based program currently provides comprehensive services to Verizon IndyCar Series, NFL, NBA, WNBA and U.S. National Governing Bodies – USA Football, USA Gymnastics, USA Diving, USA Track & Field. St. Vincent Sports Performance also provides support for three universities and 30 high schools and middle schools in central Indiana.

St. Vincent Hospitals and Health Services

Driven by the faith of four Daughters of Charity who arrived in Indianapolis in 1881 with $34.77 in their pockets, the St. Vincent Hospital mission is to treat the poor and sick by following our Core Values of Service of the Poor, Reverence, Integrity, Wisdom, Creativity and Dedication. Our healthcare ministry has grown to include seven Centers of Excellence: Women's, Children's, Orthopedics, Cardiovascular, Neuroscience, Cancer Care and Bariatrics. The ageless mission of St. Vincent remains unchanged: to minister to the minds, bodies and spirits of those in need.

About Ascension

Ascension is a faith-based healthcare organization dedicated to transformation through innovation across the continuum of care. As the largest non-profit health system in the U.S. and the world’s largest Catholic health system, Ascension is committed to delivering person-centered care to all with special attention to those who are poor and vulnerable. In FY2014, Ascension provided $1.8 billion in care of persons living in poverty and other community benefit programs. More than 150,000 associates and 35,000 affiliated providers serve in 1,900 sites of care — including 131 hospitals and more than 30 senior care facilities — in 23 states and the District of Columbia. In addition to healthcare delivery, Ascension subsidiaries provide a variety of services and solutions including physician practice management, venture capital investing, treasury management, biomedical engineering, clinical care management, information services, risk management, and contracting through Ascension’s own group purchasing organization.