Donor Stories

In April 2013, Health & Hospital Corporation of Marion County announced the emergency department and Level I trauma center at the new Sidney & Lois Eskenazi Hospital and Eskenazi Health campus would be named in honor of Michael and Susan Smith. The Michael & Susan Smith Emergency Department at Eskenazi Health and the Smith Level I Shock Trauma Center at Eskenazi Health opened with the new campus on Dec. 7, 2013.

The Michael & Susan Smith Emergency Department at Eskenazi Health is one of the busiest emergency departments in the state. With a 90-bed capacity, the emergency department provides care for more than 100,000 patients in a given year. It is staffed and equipped to evaluate and manage any type of acute illness or injury with resources ranging in acuity from resuscitation rooms to monitored beds and examination rooms. The department is made up of more than 30 physicians, all specifically trained in emergency medicine, and 120 registered nurses who have had additional training in trauma, pediatrics, and cardiac and stroke care.

The Smith Level I Shock Trauma Center at Eskenazi Health offers the highest level of trauma care available and treats more than 3,000 patients each year. It is equipped to handle the most severe emergencies, including those resulting from falls, motor vehicle accidents, gunshot wounds, assaults and burns. It became the first verified Level I trauma center in the state in 1992 and remains one of only three Level I adult trauma centers in Indiana.

Michael and Susan Smith have continued their support of Eskenazi Health and Eskenazi Health Foundation well beyond their initial gift in 2013. Michael also served on the Eskenazi Health Foundation Board of Directors from 2012 to 2020, including three years as board chair in 2013-2015.