LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – Norton Children’s is turning to families for help designing a new pediatric health care campus in Jeffersontown.
The health system is planning a state-of-the-art facility on more than 150 acres near Blankenbaker Parkway. The new campus will include surgical suites, emergency services, behavioral health care, research facilities and family-centered spaces — all designed with input from the community.
To make that happen, Norton has launched a brief online survey and a series of in-person listening sessions to hear what matters most to children, parents and caregivers.
“For us, this is more than a campus; it’s a village of healing,” said Russell Cox, president and CEO of Norton Healthcare. “Our vision is to build a destination for pediatric care unlike anything Kentucky or the region has seen, but we need community input.”
For families like the Newcombs, the project is deeply personal. Their daughter, Lily Ruth, had open heart surgery at Norton Children’s Hospital when she was just 16 months old.
“We learned firsthand when Lily went through her surgery how important not just her care was, but the whole family experience,” said Lauren Newcomb. “Since Paul, my husband, and I stayed there with her for almost a week.”
Newcomb said she’s excited to be part of shaping the new campus.
“Because they're not just building a hospital focused around the medical care… they're focusing on families and kids and the experience,” she said.
Cox emphasized the project won’t replace the current downtown facility, but will expand care across the region.
“This is 152 acres that we have as a clean slate to dedicate solely to the entirety of care of the pediatric patient and their families,” he said. “Not only will they not have to leave town, we believe that there's a whole lot of people in the region who will come to this town, because it's going to be unlike any other place in the country.”
The first “Follow the Balloon” community listening session will take place Tuesday, July 29, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Tully Elementary School in Jeffersontown.
To complete the survey or register for a session, click here.
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