Rose-Hulman announces new surgery center to be part of Innovation Grove in Terre Haute
Mar. 13—What Indiana Joint Replacement Institute CEO Dr. Michael Meneghini calls "the epicenter for joint replacement in the city" will be coming to Terre Haute's east side in a joint venture announced Wednesday between IJRI, Union Health and Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.
The partnership will include the construction of a new outpatient surgery center at Rose-Hulman's new Innovation Grove district at the intersection of Indiana 46 and Indiana 42. Architects have already been consulted, and the building is expected to be completed by the end of 2025 or early 2026.
IJRI will maintain offices at Union Health in addition to building the 40,000-square-foot surgery center and medical office adjacent to Rose-Hulman Ventures' main building in Innovation Grove.
The new, two-story facility specializing in hip and knee replacements will have four operating rooms, 14 recovery beds, approximately 20-24 exam rooms and facilities for X-rays and physical therapy.
Students will be able to observe the practice and the engineering aspects of state-of-the-art joint replacement surgery under the watchful eye of Meneghini, himself an engineering alum of Rose-Hulman.
The program will be open to more than just the 120 students in school's biology and biomedical engineering program, though a small number will be able to participate at a given time.
"This is a concrete example of part of what we offer," said Rose-Hulman President Robert A. Coons. "It's unique — it's very rare if ever that undergraduate students get this kind of opportunity. We take pride in the hands-on experience."
Meneghini — who was born and raised in Terre Haute — said partnering IJRI with Rose-Hulman "has almost been a lifelong dream.
"I've been thinking about this a lot longer than just since the merger (with Union Health in August of 2022)," he added.
He said the dream even extends back to when he was studying orthopedics at the Mayo Clinic. "I'm proud of it. It's so meaningful. Students will be observing and learning how to conduct a successful surgery."
In addition to observing, a facility on the Rose campus will offer the opportunity to work with a robotics team to design implants as well as the technology to improve how they are placed in patients.
Not just students will benefit: "This will provide a unique destination for students, industry partners, engineers, surgeons, health care professionals and patients to experience the latest advancements in orthopedic hip and knee replacement surgery," Meneghini said.
And it's nearly certain there will be plenty of patients seeking out IJRI.
About 1.5 million hip and knee replacement surgeries are performed annually, and as Meneghini noted in 2022, that number is "expected to explode over the next 10-15 years."
As Coons observed, "Modern medicine has extended life expectancy, but our joints are wearing out."
David Kronke can be reached at 812-231-4232 or at david.kronke@tribstar.com.
