Ohio County breaks ground on hospital expansion

Keith Lawrence, Messenger-Inquirer, Owensboro, Ky.
·2 min read

Jan. 29—Ohio County officials broke ground Friday for a $20 million-plus new surgical wing and renovation of vacant space inside Ohio County Healthcare.

Part of the money made available through the Rural Development Office of the U.S. Department of Agriculture will also be used to reduce the hospital's debt.

Dr. Elizabeth Ottman, a gynecologist at the hospital, said planning began more than 10 years ago.

She called the new surgical wing "a game changer."

Blaine Pieper, CEO of hospital, called it "a small hospital with a big future."

"Once we got the go ahead, we wanted to get started," he said of the groundbreaking on a frigid Friday.

Pieper said the expansion is a venture between the hospital and the county.

Judge-Executive David Johnston said, "This puts us on the map. This is no longer a small country hospital. My goal is that no one will have to go elsewhere for health care in the future."

Jim Duke, hospital board chairman, said, "We're going in a direction that's not what you usually see — with large corporate hospitals. You'll be cared for here by people you know."

The 27,000-square-foot addition will connect with the existing hospital, crossing what is currently White Avenue.

It will be built on a one-acre plot bordered by Gillespie Street and McMurtry Avenue.

The new surgical department will include three operating rooms, three procedure rooms, a pre-and post-operative care unit and a walkway connecting it to the existing hospital.

It also includes a large waiting room and a direct access parking area.

The surgical wing was designed by ESa Architectural Group in Nashville and Wehr Construction in Louisville will manage the construction.

Pieper said, "Equally important as the building project itself has been our focus on the recruitment and retention of several key surgical specialties that has increased capabilities and driven the need for additional patient care facilities."

Ohio County Healthcare currently has 24 local and regional surgeons specializing in bariatrics, ear, nose & throat, gastroenterology, general surgery, gynecology, ophthalmology, orthopedics, pain management, podiatry and urology.

The new surgical wing will make robotic procedures available in Ohio County, Pieper said.

The construction is expected to take 12 to 18 months.

Keith Lawrence, 270-691-7301, klawrence@messenger-inquirer.com.