Before the $78-million hospital opened last year, Bullitt County was the largest county in Kentucky without an inpatient hospital.
BULLITT COUNTY, Ky. — A Louisville hospital is celebrating its one-year anniversary this week. The multi-million-dollar facility filled an access gap for one of Kentucky’s most populous counties.
Last year, UofL Health – South Hospital opened its doors for inpatient care in Bullitt County. The $78-million hospital allows patients in Bullitt and south Jefferson counties to get care closer to home.
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Today, the South Hospital team has grown to nearly 500 employees. Since opening, emergency department volume has grown by 22% and surgery volume has grown 135%. A total of 3,400 patients were admitted in its first year.
“South Hospital was built on a legacy of care that our health system established in Bullitt County in 1996,” said Dorie Shelburne, UofL Health – South Hospital CEO. “We are a testament to what can happen when a health system has the full support of the community it serves. It is truly an honor to be able to take care of friends and neighbors, and provide care for people close to where they live. That’s why celebrating our one-year anniversary as a full-service hospital means so much. I am particularly proud of each member of the South Hospital team, working together to positively impact the lives of patients in our community everyday.”
UofL Health – South Hospital is located directly off the Brooks Street exit on I-65 near the Bullitt/Jefferson County line.
In addition to inpatient beds, including a 10-bed intensive care unit, the full-service acute care hospital has brought more specialty providers to the hospital campus. It has also provided enhanced heart care services for patients, including cardiac and vascular catheterization labs and STEMI Network for faster treatment of acute heart attacks.
Other services at the hospital include emergency care, cardiopulmonary services, state-of-the art pharmacy, laboratory and sterile processing areas, and high-tech surgical suites for inpatient and outpatient procedures. In addition to inpatient services, the hospital also includes support amenities such as food service, a cafeteria and chapel.
“When access is improved, health is improved, and that is why UofL Health invested – and continues to invest — in Bullitt County,” said Tom Miller, UofL Health CEO. “Our mission is to transform the health of our communities, and this South Hospital has allowed us to serve more patients with world-class and transformative care.”
In May of last year, a news conference was hosted announcing funding of $25 million from Kentucky’s General Assembly to support construction of the UofL Health — Brown Cancer Center and Center for Rural Cancer education and Research on the South Hospital campus. Groundbreaking for that project is scheduled for early April.
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In September, the South Hospital campus expanded with the $8.5 million purchase of an adjacent 60,000 square feet medical plaza. Now known as Medical Plaza 2, the building has been renovated and is home to various UofL Physicians specialists including family medicine, orthopedics, urology and ear/nose/throat.
Medical Plaza 1 on the hospital campus has also been renovated since the hospital’s opening. Specialty providers located there include cardiology, general surgery, vascular surgery, gastroenterology, nephrology, podiatry, sleep medicine and women’s health. Frazier Rehab Institute is also located there.
Prior to South Hospital’s opening, Bullitt County was the largest county in the Commonwealth without an inpatient hospital.
