Major grants help two Eastern Kentucky hospitals provide advanced care closer to home

Several months after a groundbreaking for a children’s hospital and the opening of an autism center, Pikeville Medical Center is expanding its cancer center to provide better medical care for Eastern Kentuckians.

Announced by Gov. Andy Beshear and U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers, R-Somerset, at the 2020 Shaping Our Appalachian Region virtual summit Thursday, a $4.27 million Abandoned Mine Lands grant will help the hospital expand and equip its Leonard Lawson Cancer Center. The center will expand into the 11th floor of the hospital, adding 7,000 square feet.

“Many cancer patients have no choice but to travel outside of our region and, many times, out of our state for treatment,” said Donovan Blackburn, CEO of Pikeville Medical Center. “This funding will change that. With this funding, these patients will receive advanced treatment close to home, which will support our mountain families and our local economy.”

Blackburn said some Eastern Kentucky patients must travel two to three hours for treatment. He spoke of the impact on his family when they stayed in Lexington for a week as his late father-in-law had heart surgery. His granddaughter Ava is on the autism spectrum and her parents were told to travel or move for care. Now that medical care can be provided closer to home.

Appalachian Valley Autism (AVA) Center opened earlier this year, eliminating the need for 120-150 kids with autism to travel from Eastern Kentucky to the University of Kentucky for care. The Pikeville Medical Center Children’s Hospital broke ground in August and is expected to be completed in January 2022.

“Gov. Beshear has said multiple multiple times that health care is a human basic right,” Blackburn said. “It should be. It is also upon our leaders and us as administrators to make sure our people in this region don’t have to drive three hours away or move.”

The cancer center expansion will increase the number of patients seen and add advanced technology, including two linear accelerators for radiation treatment. It will include chemotherapy suites and a specialized pharmacy.

Amber Tackett, PMC’s assistant vice president of patient services, was diagnosed in November with a rare form of cervical cancer.

Tackett was able to get treatment at Pikeville Medical Center, but she has seen many other cancer patients who must travel to get the care they need.

“Just knowing the experience that I got, that I got to stay here and knowing that they won’t have to travel, that’s what I’m excited about,” Tackett said. “We’re going to have more people being able to stay home, have their normal routine.”

Blackburn said having the support of family nearby is important for cancer treatment and close-to-home treatment reduces financial strain on families.

“These are smart investments because we’re allowing people to stay home at the sickest point of their life,” he said. “We’re taking the economic burden off.”

Pikeville Medical Center is one of the largest employers in the region, with nearly 3,000 employees. The various projects will create an additional 350-400 jobs in the next 18 months, Blackburn said.

Rogers said Eastern Kentucky has some of the highest rates of health problems in the country.

“We must remain vigilant in our work to improve medical services and access to quality care in every community,” Rogers said. “Together these grants ensure that the people of Eastern Kentucky have a place close to home for the medical care they need, whether they have an emergency or face an extended battle with cancer.”

Last year, the hospital’s cancer center had more than 25,000 patient interactions, more than 6,600 chemotherapy visits and almost 20,000 outpatient visits.

“Expansion is necessary to provide more advanced cancer care and to save more lives,” said Dr. Aaron Crum, assistant CEO and chief medical officer. “This is a monumental step toward the next generation of cancer care at PMC.”

King’s Daughters Health System in Ashland also received a $4 million AML grant for health care equipment. The funding will allow them to expand and create 250 full-time jobs.

It will also ease the community’s concerns about Our Lady of Bellefonte Hospital closing earlier this year, said Kristie Whitlatch, president and CEO of King’s Daughters.

“Our community has seen a significant loss in jobs due to the decline in coal and steel and recently experienced another loss with the closure of Our Lady of Bellefonte Hospital,” Whitlatch said. “These funds will help mitigate these economic impacts while also ensuring our community has access to world-class health care.”

King’s Daughters committed another $1 million to the expansion project.

The grants are pending approval from the federal Office of Surface Mining and Reclamation and Enforcement.

Since 2016, 43 projects in Kentucky’s Appalachian region have been selected for funding through the AML program. The PMC Children’s Hospital received a $4.78 million grant through the program. The start date for the projects is dependent on approval.