Baptist Health Corbin will benefit from the health system’s overall $100 million “Onward as One” fundraising campaign designed to enhance patient access, experience and spur innovation.
Baptist Health Foundation Corbin raised $15.1 million toward the expansion of the Emergency Department, Critical Care and NICU services during the Onward as One fundraising campaign.
The “Onward as One” campaign will support major initiatives for Baptist Health Corbin, including construction of a new $100 million, 80,000-square-foot tower, set to break ground in early 2025. This leading-edge facility will significantly enhance patient care by expanding the Emergency Department, advancing Critical Care and NICU services, and private patient rooms for greater comfort and privacy.
With a generous $3 million donation from Randall and Victoria Weddle, given in memory of Victoria’s mother, Tracy Owens, the cancer center was renamed. This remarkable contribution will profoundly impact cancer care at Baptist Health Corbin by enabling the hospital to expand patient services, improve access to oncology treatments, and invest in leading-edge technology to benefit patients from surrounding communities.
The campaign, largest in the 10-hospital system’s history, raised more than $125.8 million to date from 7,712 donors – community members, grateful patients, local businesses, corporations, foundations and investors. Launched in 2020 by the Baptist Health Foundation, the campaign focused on the health system’s eight Kentucky hospital markets to support their strategic initiatives. Dollars raised in each community are earmarked for local efforts.
The grand total was announced by CEO Gerard Colman at a health system board meeting in Louisville, where Baptist Health is headquartered.
“Baptist Health got its start more than 100 years ago when like-minded community members put their heads and their resources together to build a hospital in Louisville which later branched out across the state and beyond,” Colman said. “This rich history of support is still evident, as the generosity of countless donors has assisted Baptist Health in continuing to meet expanding patient needs and maintaining high quality patient care.”
While the Onward as One campaign comes to an end, the need for philanthropic support still persists.
“Baptist Health Foundations will continue to partner with community members to raise funds for increased access to health services, advanced technology, innovative programs and other services that benefit our patients and our communities,” said Vice President of Philanthropy Roy Lowdenback. “We have more to do in our efforts to carry out our mission, and more lives to touch.”
As a not-for-profit organization, Baptist Health has foundations established in each community it serves and reinvests all donations into those communities to achieve local impact. For more information about Baptist Health Foundations, visit www.SupportBaptistHealth.org.
In 2024, Baptist Health celebrates its 100th anniversary, and has marked each month with a health-related “gift” to each of its communities, ranging from diaper supply drives to support new mothers, to lung cancer screenings and flu shots.
The original Kentucky Baptist Hospital in Louisville opened its doors in November 1924 following years of rallying community support and fundraising. Baptist Health has since expanded to 10 hospitals and more than 2,700 licensed beds, reaching nearly 75 percent of Kentucky residents and a wide swath of southern Indiana.
