T.J. Regional Health announces multi-million dollar third floor expansion

By MICHAEL CRIMMINS
Glasgow News 1

Numerous notable members of the Barren County community, along with state and federal legislators, gathered in the modestly sized community center to celebrate the multi-million dollar expansion of the T.J. Health Pavilion.

The “Legislator Appreciation Reception” featured a laundry list of notable figures including U.S. Representative Brett Guthrie, State Representatives Steve Riley and Shawn McPherson, who represents the 22nd district, Barren County Judge-Executive Jamie Bewley Byrd, Glasgow Mayor, and one time member of T.J.’s board, Henry Royse and a plethora of T.J. Regional Health and healthcare personnel. Neil Thornbury, CEO of T.J. Regional Health, served as the master of ceremonies for the reception.

The purpose of the reception, as Thornbury said, was to celebrate the “Pavilion third floor expansion,” which is already “shelled out” with wiring and piping. Thornbury said the cost of the expansion would have been greater if not for the “foresight” of the 2012-2013 board of directors. All-in-all the total cost of the 31,000 square feet expansion is $6,875,300.

“The board of directors at that time built a facility that allowed for growth,” Thornbury said. “We have several shelled spaces, the third floor being one of them, throughout this pavilion that allows for us to grow over the decades because we knew we’d be serving the whole community. That board invested the money to say ‘ we’re going to think ahead’ and [had] the foresight to do that and come to where we are today.”

After more than a decade of the third the hospital finally have the funds necessary to complete the expansion. The funds were obtained through a federal community project fund, which earmarked $2.1 million, and $2 million in state appropriations.

Thornbury explained at the reception that the process to acquire these funds began two years prior when the hospital hired a lobbyist to compile their “story” and “vision” for the expansion. It was that vision that compelled Guthrie, and Kentucky Senator David Givens, who could not be at the reception, to get involved.

“When we came and saw the vision of finishing the third floor and bringing in a new OB-GYN and all the other stuff you’re bringing in it just made sense,” Guthrie said. “It made sense for us to be involved.”

Michael Saridakis, who does T.J. Health general surgery, informed the reception attendees that since the pavilion’s opening in  2013 they have seen roughly three million patients in Barren County and the surrounding areas, which demonstrates the need for the expansion.

“Expansion is vital,” Saridakis said. “Clinic expansion is essential not only for our providers but for our patients too; this will expand their access to healthcare.”

Thornbury said the expansion is expected to take anywhere from 12-20 months, though Stacey Biggs, executive vice president of Marketing, Planning and Development, said there are still “hoops to jump through” before construction can start during which time T.J. Regional Health will solicit bids.

“We have to get through the application process with the USDA rural development office and there are some hoops to jump through; it’s a pretty lengthy process,” Stacey said. “It all depends on how quickly we move and how quickly they do, so we don’t really have yet a specific start date as far as construction.”

She also said the third floor would primarily include specialists and potentially their residency program.

“When this was opened in 2013 we had the third floor that had been piped, stubbed, engineered to meet the next healthcare challenge, whatever that turned out to be,” Royse said. “Twelve years later T.J. is ready to meet those challenges because this funding award…is going to make it possible. There’s some symbolism here, if you get on the elevator [in the pavilion] there’s a button for the third floor that never has worked…but it was there because we knew we were going [to need it].”