UofL Hospital gives update on West Tower expansion in downtown Louisville

BRINGING MORE JOBS TO DOWNTOWN LOUISVILLE. YEAH, THE U OF L HEALTH WEST TOWER PROJECT IS STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION AND IS STILL ON SCHEDULE TO BE OPENING IN SPRINGTIME, SPECIFICALLY IN MARCH. BUT WE DID GET AN UPDATE. THERE ARE GOING TO BE TWO MORE OPERATING ROOMS THAN ORIGINALLY PLANNED, SIX INSTEAD OF FOUR. WE STARTED LOOKING HARDER AT OUR VOLUME AND OUR OTHER NEEDS FOR THE COMMUNITY, AND BASICALLY WE’LL BE PUTTING IN TWO ADDITIONAL TO ACCOMMODATE THAT, STEVE AMSLER, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS AT UOFL HEALTH, SAYS THE ADDITION FITS THE PROJECT’S OVERALL GOAL, ADDING MORE SPACE TO CARE FOR PATIENTS. CRITICAL FOR THE REGION’S ONLY LEVEL ONE ADULT TRAUMA CENTER. WE GET A LOT OF PATIENTS SENT TO US AND OUR PHILOSOPHY IS WE DON’T SAY NO. SO WE’RE TRYING TO DEAL WITH THOSE FOLKS IN THE BEST WAY THAT WE CAN, AMSLER SAYS. IN SEPTEMBER, THE HOSPITAL WILL BEGIN HIRING MORE THAN 300 NEW PROFESSIONALS TO PROVIDE 24 HOUR STAFFING. EACH FLOOR WILL KIND OF OPEN UP A MONTH, A MONTH AT A TIME, INTO THE SPRING AND SUMMER AS WE DO THAT. SO THE STAFF WILL KIND OF TRICKLE IN, BUT WE NEED TIME TO FIND THEM AND TRAIN THEM. THAT’S GOOD NEWS TO MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS LIKE DANNY ADAMS, WHO MIGHT LIKE TO SHORTEN THEIR COMMUTE. OF COURSE, I WORK IN LAGRANGE AS A NURSE, BUT THERE’S A LOT OF NURSES THAT WANT TO BE CLOSER TO DOWNTOWN. SO ME, I WORK, I DRIVE 40 MINUTES, SO IT’D BE GREAT TO HAVE MORE NURSING JOBS HERE IN LOUISVILLE THAT WE CAN WORK A LITTLE BIT CLOSER. AMSLER SAYS. WHEN THE EXPANSION IS COMPLETED, THE HOSPITAL WILL OFFER SPACE FOR MORE THAN 360 PATIENTS, KEEPING IT FROM HAVING TO HOLD PATIENTS IN THE EMERGENCY ROOM, RELIEVING A LOAD THAT WE HAVE IN OUR ER TODAY WHERE WE’RE HOLDING PATIENTS OVERNIGHT. THIS WILL HELP ADDRESS THAT PROBLEM