St. Elizabeth Central

Franciscan Health Lafayette Central, previously known as St. Elizabeth Central, is a 155-bed hospital in Lafayette, Indiana, United States, and part of the Franciscan Health hospital system. Previously known as the St. Elizabeth Medical Center, the hospital was renamed in 2009 during the construction of St. Elizabeth East. In the 1980s it was known as St. Elizabeth Hospital. It is home to the St. Elizabeth School of Nursing, the only hospital-based nursing school in the state of Indiana. History St. Elizabeth's St. Elizabeth Hospital opened when six members of the Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration came from Germany in 1875 in order to care for the sick in Lafayette, Indiana. The hospital opened in 1876 and was expanded in 1885. St. Elizabeth School of Nursing was launched in 1897 to train members of the order. By 1937, the community’s need for nurses had grown so great that the school began admitting lay students. The building also housed St. Francis High School and St. Francis College.