Newsroom

“Is that volunteer here?” That’s a question often heard at Lutheran Children’s Hospital when the smallest patients are on the hunt for Marla Lorenz. March signals a decade of volunteering for Lorenz, who turns 70 in July. She has committed more than 3,700 hours of service to the patients within our walls, impacting thousands of little lives and the lives of their families. “I’ve always loved kids; I babysat 10 kids in my house plus my own two. I go into everyone's rooms and ask them if they need anythin... ... Read More

As a continued tradition, Lutheran Health Network has a unique way to commemorate National Doctors’ Day and honor the providers who serve on our team. In lieu of gifts, Lutheran Health Network teams presented checks to area non-profits as a meaningful way to recognize its medical staff. These charitable organizations help safe housing, neighborhoods, access to nutritious food and physical activity and so much more. “This donation is our way to say thank you to all of our medical staff,” says Nicole Rexr... ... Read More

To help address hunger in the community Lutheran Health Network and our community team members collected 5,984 jars of peanut and other nut butter for six area food banks. This year's total crushes the previous record for the network collected in 2024 which was 3,392 jars. Peanut butter is a sought-after item for food banks because of its high nutritional value and long shelf life. Yet, it is one of the least donated items. According to Feeding America, food insecurity ranges in our coverage areas from ... ... Read More

Lutheran Health Network provided care to thousands of area residents in 2024, with more than 1,495,000 patient encounters across its network of physician clinics and other outpatient sites of care. More than 1 million of those patient encounters in 2024 occurred in Allen County. In addition to delivering safe, quality, compassionate healthcare, the health system is helping those in need, supporting charitable organizations and contributing to the area economy. In its most recent Community Benefit Report... ... Read More

Starting in foster care can be hard for an animal to learn social skills but one-year-old Mini Bernedoodle Pepper was bound for greatness and her owner and handler Elisha Tucker knew she was destined to work as a therapy dog. “On her first day of visits, she brought a smile to a patient that had not smiled once since arriving at the hospital,” said Elisha Tucker, manager of pediatrics, pediatric intensive care and pediatric emergency department at Lutheran Children’s Hospital. Pepper started training wi... ... Read More

Matthew Gratton has been around babies for a long time. He and his wife have five children but it wasn’t until their fifth and final child was born that a new idea crept into his head. Gratton, operations manager for inpatient rehab at Lutheran Hospital, saw how difficult it was for his wife to transition from the hospital to home following a cesarean birth. “As a trained therapist I was able to provide that help to her but I could see this could be an area where we could help our patients too,” said Gr... ... Read More

The American Cancer Society recently awarded $8,000 to Lutheran Hospital Cancer Resource Center to provide transportation assistance to people with cancer during treatment. The grant is part of a nationwide investment of $9 million that is expected to provide nearly 63,000 eligible patients with nearly 800,000 transportation and lodging services. “The funding provided by the American Cancer Society goes directly to patients receiving cancer treatments at Lutheran Comprehensive Cancer Center. Many patien... ... Read More

Lutheran Hospital, Dupont Hospital and Lutheran Kosciusko Hospital were recognized today by the Indiana Hospital Association (IHA), in partnership with State Health Commissioner Lindsay Weaver, M.D., FACEP, for their commitment to infant and maternal health at the fifth annual INspire Hospital of Distinction recognition program. INspire, funded by the Indiana Department of Health’s Safety PIN grant, was developed to implement the delivery of best-practice care for Hoosier moms and babies and recognize h... ... Read More

News that Harrison Ford withdrew from the 2025 Oscars ceremony due to a diagnosis of shingles has brought attention to this common, often painful, condition. Usually thought of as a childhood disease, chickenpox can have lasting effects well into adulthood because the virus remains inactive in the body even after recovery. Years after you have had chickenpox, the virus can reappear in the form of shingles. One in three Americans will experience shingles in their lifetime according to the Centers for Dis... ... Read More

Lutheran Health Network will be taking donations for its annual “Jars of Love” Peanut Butter Drive benefitting six area food banks. We are inviting community members to participate in this effort to fight hunger in the local area. Peanut butter is a sought-after item for food banks because of its high nutritional value and long shelf life. Yet, it is one of the least donated items. The Jars of Love Peanut Butter Drive kicks off on March 3, 2025 and will run through March 24, 2025. “Lutheran Health Netwo... ... Read More