The patient was having trouble breathing, and by the time he had been brought to the emergency department at Norton West Louisville Hospital, his breathing had stopped altogether. Norton Healthcare professionals were able to use CPR to revive him—which may not have been the case had he been forced to venture to the next-closest hospital, which is a 45-minute bus ride away.
At an individual level, that’s the difference that Norton West Louisville Hospital can make. Now multiply that by hundreds, if not thousands, and you begin to grasp the full scope of the facility’s potential in an area that for too long had been a healthcare desert.
“We’re literally saving lives,” said Corenza Townsend, chief administrative officer at Norton West Louisville Hospital, located at 850 South 28th St. “We've been able to do surgeries here that have saved the limbs of people who otherwise wouldn't have gotten healthcare at all. Our community trusts us, and we’re able to provide that same Norton Healthcare quality healthcare that’s closer to home.”
When it opened on Nov. 11, Norton West Louisville Hospital became the first new hospital west of Ninth Street in more than 150 years. How badly was it needed? Consider that in its first 30 days after opening its doors, the facility cared for over 2,500 patients. Norton West Louisville is averaging between 60 and 90 patients each day in its emergency department, Townsend said, has written over 1,600 prescriptions, has conducted over 1,800 imaging exams, and has scheduled over 500 visits with primary care providers or specialists.
“The numbers,” Townsend added, “don’t lie.”
Barriers to healthcare
Healthcare disparities had long been evident in West Louisville, but they came into sharp focus in a 2022 study Norton conducted assessing the healthcare needs of 4,500 members of the community. The numbers were glaring: 54 percent of West Louisville respondents said the inability to find evening or weekend appointments were a barrier to healthcare, another 48.8 percent said it took too long to get to their provider’s office. Nearly half reported that it was difficult to find a women’s health specialist.
”If you frequent West Louisville, if you live in West Louisville, or if you know anything about West Louisville, then you know these health disparities have been here,” Townsend said. “We, the people knew that building a hospital in west Louisville was much needed. We know there have been health disparities here for decades and decades. The life expectancy here is 15 years shorter than in other areas of the city. We were going in the wrong direction, but even in our first month we’re seeing remnants of change in peoples’ expectations around healthcare.”
Norton also listened to what the West Louisville community of 70,000 residents told them they wanted in a hospital—women’s healthcare and pediatrics, primary care, orthopedics, rheumatology, diabetes care. The resulting $90 million, 90,000-square-foot hospital also features a 24/7 emergency department, inpatient treatment, operating rooms, laboratory services, imaging, and a retail pharmacy, as well as a bistro, an outdoor green space, and a Dare to Care food pantry.
Norton West Louisville is also able to dispense prescriptions after-hours from the emergency department, to help keep patients on medications and lessen the odds that they’ll need to be readmitted. “This isn’t a case of, if you built is, they will come,” Townsend said. “No. The community told us what they wanted. We did our due diligence and listened.”
Ready to serve
Of course, altering the entrenched healthcare disparities in West Louisville, an area that encompasses nearly 36 percent of the city, can’t happen in a single month alone. There are longer battles ahead, given that West Louisville residents tend to have higher rates of death connected to stroke, heart disease and cancer. The area has suffered from decades of disinvestment, which can’t all be undone in 30 days.
But the opening of Norton West Louisville Hospital marks a major commitment on that front. Townsend sees eyes light up when patients walk into the hospital for the first time. And in the days since the facility’s Nov. 11 opening, she continues to beat the drum that the new hospital is ready to serve.
“It's really about continuing to educate the community around what services we offer, and encouraging that if they have questions, even if they don't have an appointment, they can walk right in and we'll still service them and make sure they have what they need,” she said. “Education is the root of all things we're doing here at West Louisville Hospital, and that's what builds that community trust.”
And long after the glow of opening day has faded, Norton West Louisville will still be there, fighting the healthcare fights that were for too long ignored. “We kept our promise, and we are overly excited,” Townsend added. “We are chomping at the bit to greet people and treat people, and you can just feel that when you walk through the door. The culture here is that we are ready to serve, and that you deserve this. That is not an opening statement. That is how this facility is, and that culture is not going away.”
Are you or a loved one in need of any of the services offered at Norton West Louisville Hospital? Visit the facility at 850 South 28th St., visit their website at NortonHealthcare.com/Locations/West-Louisville, or call at (502) 632-8100.
