Before UofL Health-South Hospital opened in March 2024, Bullitt County was the largest county in Kentucky without an inpatient hospital.
One year later, the 40-bed hospital in Shepherdsville has admitted more than 3,400 patients and logged more than 30,000 emergency room visits, hospital CEO Dorie Shelburne, BSN, RN, told Becker’s.
“We’re at least 20 minutes from the nearest hospital, and if you’re in southern Bullitt County, it’s at least 45 minutes,” Ms. Shelburne said. “We started looking at how we could serve this community better, and UofL Health’s entire mission is to improve the health of the communities we serve. There’s no better way to do that than by having easier access to care.”
In addition to inpatient beds — including a 10-bed intensive care unit — South Hospital features cardiac and vascular catheterization labs and a STEMI Network for faster heart attack treatment.
“Since we opened our doors, our No. 1 priority has been quality of service,” Ms. Shelburne said. “We have laser-focused initiatives to meet the highest quality standards. Our infection control practices have led to zero central-line associated bloodstream infections and zero catheter-associated urinary tract infections since opening.”
Future growth
In September, the campus expanded with an $8.5 million, 60,000-square-foot medical plaza, which includes UofL Health specialists in family medical, orthopedics, urology and otolaryngology.
“We outgrew our walls the first couple of months after opening,” Ms. Shelburne said.
The hospital has set aside space on its second floor to accommodate an additional 20 inpatient beds. It is also considering plans to expand its emergency department, which fluctuates between the second- and third-busiest ER in the Louisville, Ky.-based UofL Health system.
Plans are also underway to develop a women’s center in conjunction with UofL Health-Mary & Elizabeth Hospital, South Hospital’s sister facility, which is set to open a birthing center in 2025.
In April, the system will break ground on a UofL Health-Brown Cancer Center and Center for Rural Cancer Education and Research on the South Hospital campus.
“We’re going to be able to mirror the same care you would get on the downtown campus, with the same physicians, but in this more community-focused, rural setting that is much more accessible to the entire state of Kentucky,” Ms. Shelburne said. Not only will it improve access to cancer care, she added, it brings peace of mind to rural patients who may find navigating the downtown area stressful.
South Hospital is also on track to earn stroke certification and become an Orthopedic Center of Excellence in 2025, supported by the UofL Health’s broader network and resources.
“We’re a community hospital with a high-level ability to care for patients,” Ms. Shelburne said.
