LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A multimillion-dollar investment into pediatric care is coming to Louisville's east end, and the project could soon have the city competing with hospitals in bigger cities.
"We're designing this campus not only as a hospital but as a village of support," Norton Health Care Chief Executive Officer Russell Cox said.
Norton Healthcare will use more than 150 acres right next to the Gene Snyder Freeway and I-64 to build the new state-of-the-art pediatric medical campus in phases on Tucker Station Road.
Development will start with the construction of a hospital, where officials plan to expand to behavioral and mental health care, a clinic space, and research facilities.
"Access is a problem throughout our state," Cox said. "We want to provide that access not just for our state but for the entire region."
Norton bought the land earlier this year. The original plans for the site called for a warehouse development, but that proposal fizzled after the Louisville Metro Council voted against a zoning change in 2023.
Jeffersontown later annexed the properties and rezoned them for what officials called a "proposed expansion of Bluegrass Commerce Park."
Norton would need a conditional use permit to open a hospital there, but that use is allowed under local land-use rules.
"Growing pediatric care right here means more children can receive world class care just like Lily did," Lauren Cherry Newcomb said. "Close to home."
Her daughter, Lily Newcomb, was just 18-month-old when doctors discovered a hole in her heart.
Surgeons at Norton Children's fixed it with a complex procedure... that stopped her heart for 30 minutes. Lily's mother credits them with saving her baby's life.
"This Sunday, on Father's Day, we will be celebrating her second birthday," Cherry Newcomb said.
Right now, most children with complex needs travel to larger hospitals in Cincinnati or Nashville. Norton Healthcare hopes the new hospital in the works will help families get the care they need closer to home.
"'It's an investment in Kentucky families and brighter futures for every child who walks through those doors," Cherry Newcomb said.
David Kaelin lives near the construction site, which is in a quiet neighborhood full of fields and wildlife. He said he's glad to hear about the plans for the new pediatric campus.
"One of our grandchildren had Kawasaki disease, and they saved his life at the downtown Norton Children's hospital, " Kaelin said, "To have that healthcare accessible to all is great. It makes me proud to be a Louisvillian where Norton is investing in our future."
Norton Healthcare said infrastructure planning for the new campus will prioritize safe, efficient access while minimizing disruption to surrounding residential areas.
Infrastructure needs, like road widening and traffic safety improvements, will also be evaluated in coordination with the city of Jeffersontown and the state.
Cox called the new campus "a legacy in the making. This is a place where science can meet compassion, and where breakthroughs can be born."
Officials do want to make sure the campus reflects the community's needs. That's why Norton Children's will host several listening sessions across Kentucky and southern Indiana over the next year.
The listening sessions will start in Louisville next month, before moving to surrounding towns. Specific dates, times and locations will be released in the coming week.
A Norton spokesperson said the results of the listening sessions will help shape the scope and cost of the project, which could reach a billion dollars.
The health care giant purchased the 150-acre site earlier this year to build a state-of-the-art pediatric medical campus.
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