New Hospital Q & A
Q: What are the plans for the current hospital once the new hospital is 
completed?
A: Owensboro Health is committed to maintaining the current hospital site as a viable and attractive community asset. Read our plans for developing the Parrish Campus.
Q: Will the art, furniture and other accessories from the Parrish facility be available for sale?
A: No. Large salvage companies are submitting bids to purchase all furnishings that are "left behind." The money obtained from the contract will be used to offset the cost of demolition.
Q: What are the goals for the new hospital?
A: In order to outline our goals for the new hospital, we’ve developed mission and vision statements specific to the project. Mission: To build an affordable regional hospital that provides safe, high quality care that will meet the healthcare needs of our region. Vision: To deliver a regional hospital that is high quality, environmentally friendly, flexible, innovative and futuristic.
Q: What about the "memory garden" (the courtyard behind the current ER)?
A: The Memorial Garden will be moved to the new hospital near the healing pond. Owensboro Health facilities will transport the memorials.
Q: How will the new hospital affect the local economy?
A: Owensboro Health currently employs more than 3,400 people and generates a total annual payroll of approximately $107 million. The new hospital will require even more physicians and healthcare workers as improved access to care and our growth as a regional referral center increase patient admissions.
Q: How much does the new hospital cost?
A: The final cost of the new facility will be $385 million dollars.
Q: Why was the Pleasant Valley site chosen for the new hospital?
A: When the U.S. 60 bypass is completed, the location will offer convenient access for Owensboro residents as well as for those in the 11-county region we serve. The site’s 162 acres will provide space for much needed parking and any future expansion. Engineering studies show that the land can support a six story or taller structure with access to infrastructure (sewer, water). The site is environmentally safe and with minimal cost to resolve the flood plain issue, the site is still the most economical and appropriate for our community.
Q: Will the new hospital location be difficult to access?
A: With development of the U.S. 60 bypass extension, the new hospital will be approximately two miles from the current facility. The extension is a high priority for the Kentucky Department of Transportation and will provide easy access to the hospital and ensure that patients from all over the region will be able to benefit from our new state-of-the-art facility. Additionally, to make it even more convenient for local residents, the city of Owensboro has committed to providing public transportation to the new hospital location.
Q: Why can’t we just renovate the existing hospital?
A: Improving efficiency improves care. The new facility will be designed so patient rooms are more accessible to nurses and other caregivers. Patients will be closer to treatment areas and need to be moved less often.
Re-configuring the current space to provide similar efficiencies is more expensive and virtually impossible. Since caring for a patient’s family is also important, patient room in the new hospital will have space and accommodations for family members.
The future of healthcare is wireless, paperless and filmless. Information technology is a key to improving patient care and safety. The new hospital would allow for innovations that improve communications, maximize our resources and enhance our care. Rewiring and retrofitting the current facility would not bring it up to tomorrow’s standards.
We also need to plan for future expansions. The new hospital will be designed to make future expansion easier and more cost effective. The new facility will be able to adapt to our community’s needs well into this century. Our current campus would only allow very limited growth.
Q: What’s the impact of the Pleasant Valley site’s flood plain designation?
A: Very minimal. The current elevation of the property is 404 feet above sea level. This elevation is 10 feet higher than the 393.37 foot crest of the Ohio River during the great flood of 1937 according to the Owensboro/Daviess County Comprehensive Plan Section 740. Dirt was used to raise the building’s elevation even more, a common step in construction in Daviess County. The required elevation for the hospital is above the 500-year flood level – a level of flooding that has a .2% chance of occurring any year.
Q: Why do we need to build a new hospital?
A: In our current facility, we are continuing to provide our patients with state-of-the-art care. But looking ahead, we’ve been faced with two realities that have led to our decision: 1) We’re continually working to improve our quality of care and patient safety. 2) Today, Owensboro Health serves more than Daviess County. Increasingly, we are drawing patients from an 11-county region. As an emerging regional medical center, Owensboro Health must have the additional capacity to serve an ever growing – and aging – patient population
