INTENTIONAL EMPOWERMENT
West Louisville Will Have a New “ Medical Front Door ” in 2024
Worries about the lack of wellness and health services in West Louisville have reached a point of concrete action . In February 2022 , Russ Cox , CEO of Norton Healthcare in conjunction with Goodwill Industries of Kentucky announced their plan to develop unused land at 28 th and Broadway and build the Norton West Louisville Hospital and Opportunity Campus in a medically underserved quadrant of our community . In an area plagued by high rates of poverty , a reputation for less-safe streets and chronic illness , the hospital will be the first built west of Louisville ’ s 9 th Street in more than 150 years .
Residents in the nine zip codes west of 9 th Street were surveyed extensively in 2021 and 2022 to gain input on needed services and to fine-tune the design . In November 2022 , Norton Healthcare and community leaders unveiled the services and design of the new hospital , and the first patient visit is now planned in November 2024 . Goodwill is also opening a new facility next to the hospital which will be known as the “ Norton Healthcare Goodwill Opportunity Campus .” The facility will have needed
by JOHN J . WERNERT , MD , MHA
community services such as legal help , child care , training in various trades and a barber school – even a community cafeteria . If you drive by , you will note that the buildings are up and internal construction is on schedule .
This bold move came after years of disinvestment and deterioration in many West End neighborhoods , plus the growing disparities in health outcomes among different zip codes in Jefferson County . City leaders have fretted for years over what to do . Research shows geography plays a huge role in determining overall health and wellness . In the 2017 Louisville Metro Health Equity Report , West Louisville showed disproportionate rates of poverty , poor food ecosystem and reduced life expectancy . Low health literacy and poor health care access , including a severe shortage of pharmacies , negatively impacted access to high-quality education , employment , housing and poor overall health . 1
Hospitals and health professionals near downtown Louisville have noted for years the negative impact and increasingly poor health of our West Louisville patients . The lack of primary and secondary medical interventions results in more severe tertiary problems and multiple comorbidities that drive bad outcomes for patients and families . Physicians have been called upon to address these inequities in their practices but mainly feel overwhelmed and powerless to effect change . Health equity means no matter their race , gender or sexual orientation , our fellow
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