As local, state and national officials gathered Friday morning at Baptist Health Corbin to break ground on a new $100 million, 80,000-square-foot, three-story patient wing that will more than double the amount of space in both the emergency department and Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Corbin Mayor Suzie Razmus may have summed the event up best.
“Wow, that is the way I feel,” Razmus told the crowd, which included U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers, Senate President Robert Stivers, Baptist Health CEO Gerard Colman and Baptist Health Corbin Interim Chief Medical Officer Dr. Abigail Byrnes among others. “This is a momentous occasion, one we have waited a long time for.”
Some key features of the new patient care wing are increasing the number of treatment rooms in the emergency department from 14 to 36, expanding the ICU from 10 to 24 patient rooms, increasing the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) from 2,165 square feet to 6,647 square feet, and adding 24 private rooms on the second floor, allowing for all-private acute care nursing units.
The new wing will be connected to the current hospital by an enclosed pedestrian bridge that is climate controlled.
In addition, the helipad will be relocated to a rooftop location directly above the new emergency department, which will be designed to accommodate up to 60,000 patient visits annually.
The estimated project completion date is June 2027.
“We are thrilled to officially launch this project today, which represents a major step forward for Baptist Health Corbin and our community,” Baptist Health Corbin President Angelia Foster told the crowd Friday. “This new patient care wing will allow us to meet the growing demand for healthcare services while ensuring a modern and compassionate environment for our patients. We’re excited for the impact this will have on our ability to deliver exceptional care to our patients and their families.”
Foster added the expansion means that fewer folks in the hospital’s market area will have to travel to receive critical care when they need it, and wait times in the emergency department will improve.
Rogers, who is Dean of the U.S. House of Representatives, was the keynote speaker. Rogers, who is a longtime advocate for rural health and infrastructure investment, praised the project as “a bold step toward ensuring access to world-class care, right here at home.”
“The people of southern and eastern Kentucky deserve access to world-class healthcare and this expansion at Baptist Health Corbin will not only advance emergency medical care, but also broaden intensive care from newborns to elderly patients. I was honored to help secure a $2.4 million grant to get this important project ready for construction,” Rogers said.
Razmus added that locally over $15 million has been raised in this community alone for the project, which is something she never dreamed was possible.
“I am so proud of this hospital. It is not the building. It is the people that work in here,” added Razmus.
Stivers, whose district includes Whitley County, noted that questions about healthcare frequently come up first or second thing when people speak with legislators like himself.
Baptist Health Corbin means something personal for Stivers as one of his grandchildren was born at the hospital.
“This expansion means that people can stay here. They don’t have to go to Lexington. They don’t have to go to Knoxville. You are keeping the patient at home where they can see their family where they know the people around them that are servicing their healthcare needs. It means a lot to their mental state of mind,” Stivers said.
“It allows them – in a lot of people’s opinions – to heal much faster and to be able to go back home in a much better way.”
Stivers also spoke about what a $100 million expansion means in terms of economics for the community, such as the period of time during construction and the jobs it will bring. There are also the people doing design and engineering work.
On the backside of the project once it has been completed, Stivers noted that the expansion will mean another 60-100 high paying, healthcare professionals.
“Many will have to come here and be recruited to this region. When you think about this expansion today, thank the Baptist hierarchy for doing what they are doing, for bringing quality healthcare that allows people to stay at home and creating a great economic dynamic in bringing jobs to the area. Congratulations and thank you,” Stivers said.
