LOUISVILLE, Ky. — For over a century, West Louisville has been a health care desert, but Norton Healthcare is changing that in 2024.
Norton Healthcare President & CEO Russell Cox shared with community leaders what the West End Hospital and services will look like after a survey from residents.
It's something they've been wanting forever - fair access to healthcare.
Dave Christopher, AMPED founder, says this investment will bring more life to the area.
"It brings hope into the community for somebody to make that large of an investment in what was previously an underinvested community says a lot," Christopher said.
Cox shared a 3D animation of the hospital. It features a centralized area for patient check-in, a retail pharmacy and a community room.
Studies show people living in West Louisville have lower health statistics.
"We think the reasons for those health statistics being so poor for so many years has been a lack of access," Cox said. "We think that building this hospital, that's the first one in 150 years, begins to answer some of those access questions."
Christopher says this investment will change lives.
"Life expectancies will change drastically for the Black and brown community with this hospital coming into the community," he said.
Some services will be women's health, mental health, cardiology, orthopedics and primary care.
Cox says this is an exciting opportunity with great plans to access and equity.
"It's all about equity. We're going to make certain that we're treating people very appropriately and very much the same throughout this community," he said.
The feedback from the survey, Cox adds, helped capture the blueprint of the new hospital.
"We just have to be patient and we ask that Norton Healthcare understand that when we voice our concerns that this just isn't this period right now when you're listening. You need to keep listening," Christopher said.
The West Louisville Hospital will also have a 24-hour emergency department, in-patient care and operating rooms.
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