Community North adds shops and restaurants to entice visitors, patients and workers
They are not turning into shopping malls, but retailing is finding a niche along with rest, recovery and recuperation at Community Hospital North.
The Northeastside hospital’s $170 million expansion — which opens for patients Monday — includes an expanded retail and restaurant lineup, including a flower/gift shop, a boutique of patient supplies and a Starbucks.
Community North, at I-465 and 82nd Street, draws patients from Fishers, Carmel, Geist and much of the North and East sides of Indianapolis.
It isn’t alone in beefing up the commercial aspect of health care.
“It definitely is a trend that you’ll see more and more new hospitals getting into retailing,” said Richard Feinberg, professor of consumer sciences and retailing at Purdue University.
