UK board approves start of construction on new cancer center on South Limestone
The University of Kentucky board of trustees approved the start of construction on the new UK HealthCare cancer and advanced ambulatory complex, to be located on South Limestone.
The new center will include over 400,000 square feet, about 260,000 square feet of which is dedicated solely to cancer services, expanding what UK is currently able to offer from the Markey Cancer Center. The first five floors of the cancer center will also include clinical space, a pharmacy, infusion space, urgent care, lab and imaging. There will be several “shell” floors built, which will allow for expansion in the future.
It will also include other patient services beyond cancer treatment, including space for outpatient operating rooms, minor procedures and diagnostics and imaging services.
“We are making it so no Kentuckian should have to leave the state to access quality, patient-centered care,” said UK President Eli Capilouto. “This expansion further solidifies and expands upon our efforts to advance Kentucky by improving access to our world-class experts and providers.”
The UK board approved the planning and design of a new complex in May 2021. In December 2021, the board approved a purchase agreement to buy residential parcels of land on South Limestone for the construction of the complex.
The plans presented Tuesday are an expansion of what was originally presented to the board. The updated plans are expected to cost $500 million for the design and construction phases, said Peter Gilbert, UK HealthCare senior vice president and chief operating officer. The university has been authorized to spend $550 million on this project by the state legislature.
Earlier this year, a $10 million donation from Central Bank, the largest gift in UK HealthCare history, was given to help fund the new center.
Construction of the facility will also include the widening of Elizabeth Street for the main entrance, allowing easier access for patients and diverting some traffic away from the already congested areas around the hospital, Gilbert said. The cancer center will be connected to Pavillion A of the Chandler Hospital and includes parking structures.
The new center will allow Markey to grow and offer treatment to more patients in Kentucky and beyond, said Dr. Mark Evers, director of the UK Markey Cancer Center.
“In the past decade, we have seen an incredible increase in the number of patients – mostly Kentuckians – who need the level of expertise that our physicians and health care staff provide,” Evers said. “We want this building to last for the next 50 years. In a state that still holds the highest overall incidence and death rates for cancer, it’s important for us to be able to have the capacity to grow and treat more patients, with the ultimate goal of significantly reducing the burden of cancer in the Commonwealth.”
Leadership changes at UK HealthCare
At Tuesday’s healthcare committee meeting, Mark Newman, executive vice president for health affairs, was honored as he moves into a new role. At the end of this year, Newman will become the University Advisor for Health Care Innovation and Growth after five years as the executive vice president.
Provost Robert DiPaola and executive vice president for finance and administration Eric Monday will be the co-executive vice presidents for health affairs of UK HealthCare.
Capilouto thanked Newman for his work at UK HealthCare over the past five years, and said he looks forward to how Newman will continue to help develop UK’s healthcare goals.
“He understands change and (healthcare) trends better than most,” Capilouto said. “I am pleased he is taking on this new role.”
DiPaola and Monday will hold the co-EVPHA roles on a temporary basis while UK begins a search process to fill the role, Capilouto said in an email last week.
DiPaola, who was the dean of the College of Medicine before becoming provost, has a medical background, previously working as the director of the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey. In his role, he will oversee daily operations of UK hospitals and clinics, work with the College of Medicine’s clinical chairs and faculty and UK HealthCare clinical leadership.
Monday will oversee administrative and financial operations, as well as business development opportunities.
This story was originally published December 13, 2022 at 2:20 PM.