UofL opens expanded emergency department service in Bullitt County

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - UofL Health officially opened its doors Tuesday to what they’re calling a ‘fast-track’ wing of their emergency department in Shepherdsville.

It’s part of the project that’s transforming Medical Center South to South Hospital. It means more beds, more staff and a more extensive Emergency Department.

UofL Health’s “fast-track” ER allows medical staff to help patients who don’t require as much attention. They’ll have additional staffing to make sure the person with a broken arm still gets help even when a heart attack patient comes through the door.

”Typically, lower acuity patients are in a room and they have to wait for higher acuity patients,” Hospital CEO Dorie Shelburne said. “This way we’ll have separate staffing to be able to manage that lower acuity and really focus on the high acuity to get those patients cared for.”

The ER now includes 21 rooms after adding two triage rooms and five treatment bays.

When the hospital project at this site is complete, Bullitt County will no longer be the largest county in Kentucky without an inpatient hospital.

It adds two new floors to the existing building, 40 new beds, an ICU, new operating rooms, a new lab and pharmacy.

Shelburne said they expect the number of annual patients they see to jump from around 30,000 to 60,000. Construction is expected to be finished Spring 2024.

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